Predictive Genetic Testing for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer: Psychological Distress and Illness Representations 1 Year Following Disclosure

This prospective study evaluates emotional functioning and illness representations in 68 unaffected women (34 carriers/34 noncarriers) 1 year after predictive testing for BRCA1/2 mutations when offered within a multidisciplinary approach. Carriers had higher subjective risk perception of breast cancer than noncarriers. Carriers who did not have prophylactic oophorectomy had the highest risk perception of ovarian cancer. No differences were found between carriers and noncarriers regarding perceived seriousness and perceived control of breast and ovarian cancer. Mean levels of distress were within normal ranges. Only few women showed an overall pattern of clinically elevated distress. Cancer-specific distress and state-anxiety significantly decreased in noncarriers from pre- to posttest while general distress remained about the same. There were no significant changes in distress in the group of carriers except for ovarian cancer distress which significantly decreased from pre- to posttest. Our study did not reveal adverse effects of predictive testing when offered in the context of a multidisciplinary approach.     

中学生消费决策风格的特点及其与家庭理财教育方式的关系

该研究以377名中学生为被试,探讨了中学生消费决策风格的特点及其与家庭理财教育方式的关系。结果表明:(1)中学生消费决策风格部分符合Shim(1996)提出的二阶模型(包括质量导向、非理性导向、享乐导向和价格导向等四个二阶因子);(2)中学生消费决策风格的年级差异不显著,性别差异显著,男生在品牌导向上高于女生,在流行导向和娱乐导向上低于女生;(3)中学生消费决策风格可划分为决策随意型、决策紊乱型、决策理智型和决策实惠型;(4)父母消极的理财教育方式会导致中学生形成非理性导向或享乐导向的消费决策风格,而积极的教育引导则能在一定程度上减弱中学生的非理性决策风格,促进其形成质量导向的决策风格。     

伊斯兰复兴思潮下的伊斯兰经济思想

20世纪上半叶,伊斯兰教复兴思潮迭起,穆斯林比以往更加明确,伊斯兰教依然是他们解决精神、政治、经济问题的行之有效的途径。20世纪中后期,伊斯兰复兴的浪潮在经济思想领域产生了两方面影响:其一,带动了伊斯兰经济思想的研究。其二,促成了伊斯兰金融体系的建立。     

An Initial Investigation of the Factor-Analytic Structure of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised With a Volunteer Firefighter Sample

We provide an initial evaluation of the factor structure of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) when used with a volunteer firefighter and a similar community participant sample. A volunteer firefighter sample (n = 65) and a sample of similar community respondents (n = 103) completed a questionnaire study, including responses to the IES-R. The IES-R data from both groups were entered into a three-factor principal components analysis with direct oblimin rotation. We found further support for the validity of the IES-R when used with a community sample. However, our data suggested that when using the IES-R with a community sample, the choice between a two- and a three-factor model may depend on the composition of the participants. For volunteer firefighters, the factor-analytic structure of the IES-R appeared to be similar to that of the community sample, with more scatter in terms of item loadings. To our knowledge, there is no previous research considering the use of the IES-R with a strictly volunteer firefighter sample. In addition, despite adequate research on the factor-analytic structure of the original IES, little research has considered the factor-analytic structure of the more recent IES-R, even with community samples.     

Global ethics: increasing our positive impact

Global ethics is no ordinary subject. It includes some of the most urgent and momentous issues the world faces, such as extreme poverty and climate change. Given this, any adequate review of that subject should, I suggest, ask some questions about the relation between what those working in that subject do and the real-world phenomena that are the object of their study. The main question I focus on in this essay is this: should academics and others working in the field of global ethics take new measures aimed at having more real-world positive impact on the phenomena they study? Should they take new measures, that is, aimed at bringing about more improvements in those phenomena, improvements such as reductions in extreme poverty and in emissions of greenhouse gases? I defend a positive answer to this question against some objections, and also discuss some of the kinds of measure we might take in an attempt to have more positive impact.     

情感预测的影响偏差——聚焦错觉还是适应忽视?

为了考察情感预测影响偏差中聚焦错觉和适应忽视的作用,本研究通过两个实验,先让大学生被试对考研(实验1a)、骨折手术(实验1b)、搬到新校区(实验2)进行情感预测,然后将其与情感体验进行比较,并比较了去焦点化训练、适应训练和控制组对影响偏差的干预效果。结果发现:去焦点化训练显著地降低了情感预测的影响偏差,而适应训练和控制组则没有显著降低影响偏差。因此,本研究认为,当情境线索清楚的时候,聚焦错觉是导致情感预测影响偏差的主要原因。     

The career impact of winning an external work-related award

There is an abundance of work-related external awards in the business and corporate sectors. This study examines the impact of awards given to individuals in the business sector. Careers and signalling theory were used to initiate research in this domain with 32 interviews with winners of national work-related awards. The majority of winners were either nominated for the awards by others or encouraged to nominate by their managers, which may reflect an organisational, rather than individual, signal for distinction. Results demonstrated that all winners valued the recognition they received from their award win but in an unexpected finding, no significant career trajectory changes occurred. Award winners used their award as a signal of their excellence to distinguish themselves from others. The award gave them confidence and credibility. There was no relationship between winning an award and career success measures such as promotions or salary increases. Counterintuitive negative impacts identified by award winners are discussed.     

Scholarly productivity,impact, and quality among Academic Psychologists at Group of Eight Universities

Scholarly research among academics in Schools and Departments of Psychology in the Group of Eight Australian universities was assessed for each academic level (Lecturer to Professor) on productivity (number of articles), impact (number of citations to those articles), and quality (journal rankings). Publications were determined over an 8‐year period, 2001–2008. Citations to these works over the same period were also measured. Quality was determined using the Excellence in Research for Australia draft journal rankings. Scholarly productivity was a function of academic level: as academic level increased (Lecturer through Professor) so too did number of publications. Research impact (citations) was also greatest among established Staff (Professors). Research quality was independent of academic level and largely independent of gender. Normative research profiles are provided for each academic level.     

Financial capability,money attitudes and socioeconomic status: Risks for experiencing adverse financial events

The risk of experiencing adverse financial events (e.g. bankruptcy) depends on the world economy and on individual differences in financial and psychological variables. Analysing data from 109,472 British survey respondents, this study reports the risks associated with financial capabilities, money attitudes, and socio-economic status for suffering negative financial outcomes. The results show that (1) socio-economic status is associated with financial capabilities but not with money attitudes; (2) money attitudes and financial capabilities are largely independent; (3) money attitudes and financial capabilities each contribute independently to the risk of experiencing adverse financial outcomes, even after adjusting for socio-economic status; and (4) financial capabilities are greater risk factors of adverse financial outcomes than money attitudes; the latter, however, are likely to be promising targets for interventions.