Personal values and immigrant group appraisal as predictors of voluntary contact with immigrants among majority students in Israel

What predicts whether young people will establish contacts with immigrants? Students are at a pivotal point in which the campus environment can enable substantial contact with immigrants, and where world views and behavioural patterns are formed which can follow through their adult lives. Through a value‐attitude‐behavior paradigm we examine a conceptual model in which appraisal of an immigrant group as a threat and/or benefit to the host society mediates the relationship between personal values and contact. Findings among 252 students in Israel showed that (1) threat/benefit appraisal of immigrants predicted voluntary contact; (2) personal values of self‐direction and hedonism directly predicted voluntary contact; and (3) Threat/benefit appraisal mediated the relationship between self‐direction and power and contact. Results suggest that increasing awareness of benefits of immigrants can promote positive inter‐group relations.     

Can Cognitive‐Behavioral Therapy Be Optimized With Parent Psychoeducation? A Randomized Effectiveness Trial of Adolescents With Major Depression in Puerto Rico

This is a longitudinal randomized control trial on the impact of adding a parent psychoeducation intervention (TEPSI) as part of cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) for adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in a Puerto Rican sample. We tested the efficacy of adding 8 group sessions of TEPSI to 12 sessions of individual CBT on reducing depressive symptoms, MDD diagnosis, and improving family functioning. Participants (n = 121) were randomized to individual CBT with or without TEPSI. No main group effects were found for most patient domains including depression symptoms, as well as presence of adolescent's MDD diagnosis at posttreatment. Results did show a main effect of CBT over time for depression symptoms, suicide ideation, family criticism, and the presence of MDD diagnosis decreasing from pre‐ to postintervention. A year post treatment, almost 70% of adolescents in both conditions (CBT and CBT + TEPSI) remained in remission. A main effect was obtained for treatment in the adolescent's perception of familism and family emotional involvement. The primary hypothesis that family psychoeducation would optimize CBT for depression in adolescents was not supported. Both conditions yielded similar clinical end points. The culturally adapted CBT was found effective with Latino/a adolescents showing clinically significant improvements from pretreatment to posttreatment and remained stable at a 1‐year follow‐up. Regarding family outcomes, adolescents in CBT + TEPSI remained stable from pretreatment to posttreatment on family emotional involvement, while adolescents in CBT‐alone showed an increase. The implication of these findings is discussed.     

Effects of decreasing intersession interval duration on graduated exposure treatment during simulated routine dental care

Reports suggest that individuals with developmental disabilities often engage in behavior during dental visits that precludes regular dental care. Graduated exposure therapies are an effective treatment for avoidant behavior in people with developmental delays, and some studies show that the duration of the intersession interval (ISI) can impact the effectiveness of graduated exposure treatments for typically developing individuals. The current study examined the effects of decreasing ISI on outcomes of a graduated exposure treatment during simulated routine dental care for 3 individuals diagnosed with autism. Treatment consisted of graduated exposure and extinction for disruptive behavior. Initially, sessions were conducted once per week. In subsequent conditions, treatment sessions were conducted 3‐5 times per week. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across subjects design was used to demonstrate experimental control. Results suggest that decreasing ISI durations can produce improved treatment outcomes.     

Simple discrimination training with differential responses to establish functional and equivalence classes with preschool children

The present study assessed whether simple discrimination training with differential responses would produce functional and equivalence classes with preschool children. In Experiment 1, we exposed 10 children to simple successive discrimination training in which they had to press different buttons (selection‐based responses). Response 1 (R1) was reinforced only in the presence of A1, B1, or C1, and Response 2 (R2) was reinforced only in the presence of A2, B2, or C2. We assessed the formation of functional classes by training new selection responses in the presence of one member of each class (A1‐R3, A2‐R4) and testing to see if these responses would occur in the presence of other members. Eight children responded consistently with functional class formation. Four of these eight children also responded consistently with the formation of equivalence classes. Experiment 2 investigated whether differential motor responses (i.e., gestures) would improve equivalence class yields. Three of six children showed both functional and equivalence class formation. In general, the results indicate that the simple discrimination procedure with differential responses yielded functional and equivalence class formation.     

Considering the role of early discrimination experiences and the parent–child relationship in the development of disruptive behaviors in adolescence

Discrimination has been shown to be related to diminished psychological adjustment and greater risk for substance use when personally experienced by adolescents and when their caregivers experience discrimination. Our research considers the impact of primary caregiver experiences of racial- and socioeconomic-based discrimination in early (age 3–5 years) and late childhood (age 9½) on adolescent disruptive behaviors (age 14) with a large sample of diverse caregiver–child dyads (N = 634). In addition, we examine the potential protective effects of parent–child relationship quality in early and late childhood in buffering the effects of caregiver discrimination on adolescent disruptive behaviors. We also explore possible gender differences in children's vulnerability to engage in disruptive behaviors in the context of caregiver experiences of discrimination. The findings from this study indicate that at trend level, early childhood experiences of primary caregiver discrimination (ages 3–5) predicted adolescent disruptive behaviors, accounting for the effects of more recent (age 9½) caregiver discrimination. In addition, parent–child relationship quality at age 9½ years was found to buffer the effects of late childhood (age 9½) primary caregiver discrimination on adolescent disruptive behaviors for both male and female youth. The findings highlight the need for prevention and intervention techniques that foster healthy and positive primary caregiver–child relationships.     

The Perpetual Outsider: Voices of Black Women Pursuing Doctoral Degrees at Predominantly White Institutions

This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of Black female doctoral students at predominantly White institutions and their impact on academic persistence and overall well‐being. Fifteen Black female doctoral students participated in semistructured interviews, and each one was administered a demographic questionnaire and was extended an opportunity to participate in member checking. All data collected from the semistructured interviews, demographic questionnaires, and member‐checking exercises were analyzed using Black feminist thought as an interpretive lens. Whereas several themes emerged and are discussed in previous articles (Shavers & Moore, 2014a, 2014b), this article focused on the “Perpetual Outsider” theme, comprising the following subthemes: (a) unwelcoming spaces, (b) tokenism, and (c) outsiders at home. Implications are offered based on identity, support systems, and group counseling. Este estudio cualitativo exploró las percepciones y experiencias de estudiantes negras de doctorado en instituciones predominantemente blancas, así como su impacto en la persistencia académica y bienestar general. Quince estudiantes negras de doctorado participaron en entrevistas semiestructuradas, y a cada una de ellas se les administró un cuestionario demográfico y se les ofreció la oportunidad de participar en seguimientos de miembros. Todos los datos recopilados a partir de las entrevistas semiestructuradas, los cuestionarios demográficos y los ejercicios de seguimiento de miembros fueron analizados e interpretados desde la perspectiva del pensamiento feminista negro. Aunque surgieron varios temas que se comentan en artículos anteriores (Shavers & Moore, 2014a, 2014b), este artículo se centra en el tema del “Forastero perpetuo”, que incluye los siguientes subtemas: (a) espacios hostiles, (b) representación simbólica y (c) forasteros en casa. Se ofrecen implicaciones basadas en la identidad, sistemas de apoyo y consejería de grupo.     

情绪对不同外倾水平个体行为抑制的影响

采用双选择oddball实验范式与事件相关电位（ERP）技术,探讨了情绪对行为抑制的影响以及外倾性的调节作用。行为数据发现,相比标准刺激,被试对偏差刺激的反应时显著更慢,证明实验成功诱发了行为抑制效应。在内倾组,负性刺激下偏差与标准刺激反应时差值显著长于正性刺激条件,而在外倾组无显著差异。脑电数据发现,在N2成分上,内倾组在正性情绪下的波幅显著小于负性和中性情绪,而在外倾组,不同情绪下的波幅不存在显著差异。在P3成分上,内倾组在正性情绪下的波幅显著大于负性和中性情绪,相反,外倾组在负性情绪下的波幅显著大于正性和中性情绪。结果表明,情绪对行为抑制的影响受到了个体外倾性水平的调节。     

工作场所不文明行为受害者向实施者反转的机制

梳理和归纳了导致工作场所不文明行为的受害者反转为实施者的组织事件, 包括团队层次的不作为领导行为和领导不文明行为以及个体层次的同事不文明行为。借助事件系统理论对受害者反转为实施者的认知过程进行了说明, 如果组织事件的强度足够引起受害者的控制化信息加工, 则其可能改变自己的原有行为进而实施工作场所不文明行为; 根据社会信息加工理论, 受害者的控制化信息加工可以通过三条路径实现, 即学习过程, 归因过程和道德判断过程。建议未来研究进一步探讨情绪和认知两者在不文明行为受害者角色反转中的作用, 以及工作领域之外的因素在其中的作用, 并且能够使用日记研究法进行验证; 未来研究还可以探讨工作场所不文明行为的旁观者反转为实施者的机制。     

Confidence and decision type under matched stimulus conditions: overconfidence in perceptual but not conceptual decisions

Within the domain of metacognition, there is disagreement whether different processes underlie evaluations of confidence in perceptual versus conceptual decisions. The relationship between confidence and accuracy for perceptual and conceptual decisions was compared using newly created stimuli that could be used to elicit either decision type. Based on theories of Brunswikian and Thurstonian uncertainties, significant underconfidence for perceptual decisions and overconfidence for conceptual decisions were predicted. Three within‐subjects experiments did not support this hypothesis. Participants showed significant overconfidence for perceptual decisions and no overconfidence for conceptual decisions. In addition, significant hard‐easy effects were consistently found for both decision types. Incorporating our findings with past results reveals that both over‐ and underconfidence are attainable on perceptual tasks. This conclusion, in addition to the common presence of hard‐easy effects and significant across‐task correlations in over/underconfidence, suggests that confidence judgments for the two decision types may depend on largely shared processes. Possible contributions to confidence and over/underconfidence are explored, focusing on response time factors and participants' knowledge bases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Idealizations and Concretizations in Laws and Explanations in Physics

The paper tries to provide an alternative to Hempel’s approach to scientific laws and scientific explanation as given in his D-N model. It starts with a brief exposition of the main characteristics of Hempel’s approach to deductive explanations based on universal scientific laws and analyzes the problems and paradoxes inherent in this approach. By way of solution, it analyzes the scientific laws and explanations in classical mechanics and then reconstructs the corresponding models of explanation, as well as the types of scientific laws appearing in it. Finally, it compares this reconstruction with the approaches of J. Woodward and C. Hitchcock, C. Liu and with the views of M. Thalos on analytic mechanics.