Do Community Characteristics Relate to Young Adult College Students’ Credit Card Debt? The Hypothesized Role of Collective Institutional Efficacy

This study examines the extent of emergent, outstanding credit card debt among young adult college students and investigates whether any associations existed between this credit card debt and the characteristics of the communities in which these students grew up or lived. Using data (N = 748) from a longitudinal survey and merging community characteristics measured at the zip code level, we confirmed that a community's unemployment rate, average total debt, average credit score, and number of bank branch offices were associated with a young adult college student's acquisition and accumulation of credit card debt. For example, a community's higher unemployment rate and lower number of bank branches were associated with a young adult college student's greater accumulated debt. Community characteristics had the strongest associations with credit card debt, especially after controlling for individual characteristics (i.e., a young adult college student's race and financial independence) and familial characteristics (i.e., their parents’ income and parents’ discussions of financial matters while growing up at home). The findings may help to understand the unique roles that communities play in shaping children and young adults’ financial capability, and how communities can be better capacitated to support the financial goals of their residents.     

‘Her Majesty the Baby’: narcissistic states in babies and young children

This article considers narcissistic states in babies and young children with some reference to the myth of Narcissus in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. The object-seeking character of babies from the beginning of life is elaborated in connection with selected research from mother–baby interaction. This forms the backdrop to a discussion of withdrawal into illusions of self-sufficiency and denial of dependence in adverse circumstances. Two clinical cases are discussed in some depth. One boy whose superiority, self-reliance and pseudo maturity is prompted by anxieties around separation as he approaches starting school is considered within the parameters of ordinary transient narcissism. The lengthy psychotherapy of another child, who developed entrenched narcissistic defences as a response to traumatic, abusive and neglectful experiences in early life, and who needed considerable help, is described in greater detail. Some links are made with difficulties associated with the emergence from narcissistic functioning and encountering the pain of separation and loss.     

回忆任务对合作抑制和错误修剪的调节——情绪效价和编码水平的影响

前人在项目回忆条件的合作记忆研究中记录到明显的合作抑制和错误修剪,背景提取条件的相关研究尤显不足;同时,情绪效价和编码水平对两类现象调节的研究尚未涉及。为此,本文在两个实验中采用经典合作记忆研究范式,以不同情绪效价的词汇为实验材料并以词汇在学习阶段的呈现颜色为背景展开研究。实验1和实验2分别在学习阶段采用了深编码和浅编码任务,回忆阶段则均含项目回忆(回忆已学词汇)和背景提取(回忆词汇在学习阶段的呈现颜色)两种任务。采用深编码条件的实验1的结果显示,项目回忆比背景提取条件的合作抑制更强、错误修剪更弱,回忆任务与词汇情绪效价交互影响合作抑制强度;采用浅编码条件的实验2则发现错误修剪在两种任务间的差异不显著。两实验的联合分析显示,回忆任务与编码水平交互影响合作抑制和错误修剪强度。上述结果表明:回忆任务对合作抑制和错误修剪的调节支持双重加工模型;回忆任务与情绪效价对合作抑制强度的交互影响支持权衡说,且与双重加工模型相吻合;回忆任务与编码水平交互影响合作抑制和错误修剪强度。     

Ambiguity Attitudes over Time

Previous research demonstrates that individuals exhibit a stronger level of ambiguity aversion for high probabilities than for low probabilities. Given that risky and ambiguous prospects are often unresolved until a future date (e.g., investment decisions, new product launches, and medical interventions), this study examines the impact of time on ambiguity preferences at different probability levels. Our experimental results indicate that although ambiguity preferences for low‐probability events remain constant, a robust effect of time occurs for high‐probability events. More specifically, temporal distance mitigates ambiguity aversion. This effect is consistent for different elicitation methods (preference rating and probability–ambiguity trade‐off tasks). We propose a dual‐process model (affective versus cognitive processing styles) to explain our results. Affective processing for high‐probability lotteries resolved in the current period increases ambiguity aversion, while cognitive processing leads to less ambiguity‐averse choices for future lotteries. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Construal‐level Mindsets Enhance Behavioral Persistence in Response to Incentive Valence

In this research, we find that incentive valence and construal‐level mindsets can interact to influence behavioral persistence on challenging tasks. An abstract mindset improves persistence in response to positively framed incentives whereas a concrete mindset improves persistence in response to negatively framed incentives. This interaction effect can be observed even when the cues inducing construal‐level mindsets are not related to the incentives or the incentivized tasks. Participants in our studies were either positively or negatively incentivized to solve a set of difficult anagrams, and were primed with an abstract or a concrete mindset using spatial (Study 1) and social (Study 2) cues. The participants persisted longer in response to the positively framed incentive when primed with spatially or socially remote cues. In contrast, for the negatively framed incentive, participants persisted longer when primed with spatially or socially proximal cues. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Absorbed in sleep: Dissociative absorption as a predictor of sleepiness following sleep deprivation in two high-functioning samples

In recent years, a labile sleep-wake cycle has been implicated as a cause for dissociative experiences, and studies show that dissociation is elevated following sleep deprivation. Dissociative individuals may find it harder to regulate sleepiness in the face of sleep disruption. Although there is significant variability in reactions to sleep deprivation, research on trait predictors is scarce. The present study examined the ability of trait dissociation to prospectively predict sleepiness following sleep loss and recovery sleep. Two high-functioning samples, namely, Remotely Piloted Aircraft officers (N = 29) and Air Force jet pilots (N = 57) completed state and trait questionnaires assessing sleep and dissociation before and after full or partial sleep loss. Dissociative absorption was a consistent predictor of an increase in sleepiness following sleep loss and following recovery sleep, controlling for baseline sleepiness levels. We discuss the findings in light of a difficulty to regulate and monitor consciousness states.     

产后抑郁的预测因素及神经生理机制

产后抑郁是产后时期出现的抑郁症状,对女性及其后代甚至家人都会造成严重的负面影响。产后抑郁稳定的预测因素是遗传基因、依恋风格、童年负性生活经历和激素水平的变化;涉及的脑区和神经网络集中在前额叶皮层、扣带回、杏仁核和海马等脑区及相应神经网络。未来应在探索综合的预测模型、男性伴侣的对照试验和基于大脑可塑性特征的干预模式等方面展开深入研究。     

Stimulus significance effects in habituation of the phasic and tonic orienting reflex

Phasic and tonic measures of electrodermal activity were examined in a simple habituation paradigm, using innocuous visual stimuli. Separate groups were used to investigate the effects of stimulus significance, as manipulated by instructions. One group had no stimulus-related task (indifferent group), while the other was asked to silently count the stimuli to report to the experimenter later (significant group). Prestimulus skin conductance levels were considered as measures of the arousal level at each stimulus presentation, and the subsequent electrodermal responses were taken as the phasic orienting reflex (OR) elicited by each stimulus. Changes in prestimulus arousal were taken as measures of the tonic OR to the experimental series. Marked group differences were found in both phasic and tonic components of the OR. Some, but not all, of the significance effects in the phasic OR were attributable to differences in arousal. The results are discussed in the context of theoretical accounts of the OR.     

Perceived quality of life in Taiwan and Hong Kong: an intra-culture comparison

Cross-society comparisons have become increasingly important to the study of the perceived quality of life. A major critique of these studies, however, is the lack of attention to intra-culture variation. This paper examines how subjective quality of life differs, at both societal and individual levels, between Taiwan and Hong Kong, two Chinese societies that share their cultural heritage but vary in their social and political systems. We draw upon data from synchronic surveys conducted in November 2000 in Taiwan (n=1222) and Hong Kong (n=1044). Ordinal regression analyses confirm that, for both societies, reported satisfaction at the societal level contributes to the variance in individuals quality of life. Moreover, the perceived fairness with regard to personal effort within the opportunity structure provided by the society also significantly affects an individuals quality of life. Different factors accounting for quality of life variation in Taiwan and in Hong Kong are discussed. This paper suggests that for the intra-cultural, cross-society comparisons on quality of life, inclusion of various societal level indicators is not only important, but the subjective perception of the fairness that society also contributes a significant effect.