The impact of daycare environments on children's mood and behavior

This study examined the influence of different environmental features at nine daycare centers on 74 children's (42 boys and 32 girls) emotions in relation to their individual traits. The environments were predominantly assessed by semantic scales, and the children's emotions using a structured observational technique. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the activation level as well as the control of the behavior were related to the individual traits of the children, whereas the directedness and the hedonic tone of the behavior were related to the environment and the situation (meal or free play). Of special interest is the result that extrovert children displayed higher levels of control than the more introvert children. The most important quality of the physical daycare environment was unity, whereas intensity and familiarity were to most salient qualities of the social environment     

The Experience of Caregiving Among Mothers of Adults Suffering from Psychotic Disorders: Factors Associated with Their Psychological Distress

To identify correlates of psychological distress among multiple indicators, 99 women with adult children suffering from a psychotic disorder were interviewed. The women, who were recruited through hospitals and self-help groups, represented different socioeconomic levels. A face-to-face standardized interview was conducted, mainly in the participants' homes. Multiple hierarchical regression analysis showed that dimensions of burden and social support were strongly associated with distress reported by the participants. The negative interactions that participants had with their main confidant or spouse constituted a more powerful correlate than their perception of the quality of this relationship. Furthermore, a perception of their own health as poorer is a strong correlate of their distress. Since no control group was studied simultaneously, these results suggest, but do not prove, the presence of differences between mothers of adults with psychotic disorders and other mothers.     

THE EFFECTS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL “ENRICHMENT” PROGRAM ON THE BEHAVIOR OF INSTITUTIONALIZED PROFOUNDLY RETARDED CHILDREN

This study determined the effects of procedures designed to “enrich” the physical and social environment of an institutional ward on the “adaptive” and “maladaptive” child, adult, self, and object-directed behaviors of five profoundly retarded ambulatory females. Behavior observed in two treatment conditions, an environment “enriched” with toys and objects and an “enriched” environment coupled with differential reinforcement of adaptive behavior, was compared to behavior occurring in corresponding baseline or “austere” conditions and during a period of noncontingent reinforcement. The results generally revealed: (1) little change in adaptive and maladaptive child and adult-directed behavior across conditions, (2) an overall higher incidence of adaptive object-directed behavior and reduced self-directed maladaptive behavior in each treatment condition from that observed in corresponding control conditions, and (3) the use of an “enriched” environment and differential reinforcement of adaptive behavior resulted in maladaptive self-directed behavior being reduced and adaptive object-directed behavior being increased beyond that observed in the “enriched” environment alone. These behavioral gains were largely maintained during a follow-up condition by continuing the “enriched” environment and transferring the responsibility for differential reinforcement to direct-care staff.     

从恢复体验到地方依恋:环境偏好与居住时长的作用

探究源自环境的恢复体验(如,放松、平静等)对居住者地方依恋(包括地方依赖和地方认同两个维度)的预测作用,并分析其中的内在过程与情境条件。采用问卷研究法(N=410),结果发现:(1)恢复体验能显著正向预测个体地方依恋;(2)环境偏好在恢复体验与地方依恋之间起完全中介作用;(3)居住时长调节环境偏好与地方依恋(主要是地方认同)之间的关系。研究将有助于探寻环境心理学视角下的压力管理与城市管理协同路径。     

情感事件理论的内容、应用及研究展望

组织中的情绪情感研究逐渐成为了学界关注的热点, 情感事件理论的出现为该领域研究提供了一个整合的框架。情感事件理论认为员工在工作中的情感反应由特定的工作事件引发, 这些情感反应会进一步影响员工的态度与行为。该理论区分了情感反应与工作满意度的差异, 并在对工作满意度解构的基础上提出了情感驱动型和判断驱动型两类不同性质的行为。情感事件理论对研究组织成员情感反应的作用机制具有重要的指导意义, 但另一方面它也需考虑团体层次情感机制及测量方法等因素, 在更加具体的情境中进一步验证和完善。