Group structure and entitativity in group fitness: considering groupness at within- and between-group levels

Objective: How can we distinguish between a collection of individuals exercising alongside one another from group that is exercising ‘together’? This question is central to research on the extent that individuals perceive their fitness settings to entail core features of groups. To advance understanding of the nature of groupness and its implications in exercise, the current study (a) evaluated a brief measure of groupness and (b) examined the extent that groupness predicted perceptions of exertion and affect.

Design: Participants included 633 exercisers (M_age?=?33.92, SD?=?11.05, 74% female) who completed surveys after group fitness classes (k?=?34).

Main outcome measures: Groupness, affect, exertion, and group cohesion.

Results: Exploratory structural equation modelling provided support for a two-factor solution reflecting entitativity and group structure as subdimensions of groupness. The groupness factors were differentially associated with theoretically relevant aspects of classes (e.g. synchronised movement), the individual (e.g. number of members interacted with), as well as group cohesion. Groupness also predicted perceived exertion and affect.

Conclusion: Our research provides support for a brief measure of groupness, advances theory related to how individuals perceive exercise groups, and provides evidence regarding how broader experiences during exercise may relate to exercisers’ perceptions of groupness.     

Think fast: The role of thin slices of behavior in employee selection decisions

This study integrates past research addressing decision‐making, employee selection, and influence processes in an attempt to provide both a theoretical and empirical foundation for future research addressing initial impressions throughout the interview process. Using data from a simulated hiring situation comprised of 28 recruiters and 229 applicants, the results suggest that initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview make a substantive impact on final impressions. However, impressions formed at the career fair do not appear to impact final impressions without considering the interactive effects of decision confidence. Hypotheses proposing that decision confidence would moderate linkages between initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview and both interview scores and final impressions were not supported. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for selection.     

What you are confident of determines your choices in context: Confidence in yourself versus in your ability

The notion that consumers' preference is constructed by decision context is well established. Two of such salient manifestations are compromise effect and attraction effect. Although literature has explored the moderators of these effects from the perspective of a decision maker, little is known about whether a significant difference exists between the effects of individual differences as a situational state and as a stable personality. This article approaches this question by examining how specific self‐confidence and general self‐confidence shape consumer's preference for context options. Four studies find that compromise effect is greater for consumer with high specific self‐confidence, whereas attraction effect is greater for consumer with low specific self‐confidence. The two context effects are greater for consumers with low general self‐confidence only in the presence of social influence. In addition, low (vs. high) general self‐confidence strengthens (vs. weakens) the impact of specific self‐confidence on context effects under this condition. This article concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.     

Age‐related differences in delay discounting: Immediate reward,reward magnitude,and social influence

Delay discounting refers to the tendency of individuals to subjectively devalue rewards that are to be received in the future, with high rates of delay discounting being associated with a variety of maladaptive life outcomes (e.g., unhealthy dietary and exercise behaviors). The current study explored the psychological and social processes involved in adult age‐related differences in delay discounting of monetary rewards. Younger adults exhibited higher levels of delay discounting than older adults. This increased level of patience in older adults was found whether smaller‐sooner rewards were to be received immediately or in the future. However, there was an interaction with reward magnitude, whereby younger adults exhibited higher levels of delay discounting for smaller reward magnitudes but not larger reward magnitudes. Social influence on delay discounting was investigated by having participants complete three phases of the delay‐discounting task: an individual precollaboration phase, a collaboration phase in age‐group‐matched dyads, and an individual postcollaboration phase. A convergence effect was observed in that dyad members' postcollaboration choices were significantly more similar compared to their baseline choices during the precollaboration phase. Moreover, levels of convergence were comparable between younger and older adults, suggesting age invariance in social influence on delay discounting. The current results demonstrate a degree of malleability in delay discounting that extends into older adulthood, making interventions targeting the construct a promising avenue for future research.     

计算的脑机制研究进展

采用计算任务来探讨脑机制已成为国外研究大脑活动的重要领域。该文阐述了神经心理学和脑成像领域有关计算的脑机制研究。神经心理学及脑损伤的研究结果表明,大脑两侧顶下小叶和左前额叶与计算加工有关。ERP、PET和fMRI脑成像研究结果显示,数字命名与比较、心算、精算和估算等不同计算任务,其所激活的脑部位有所差异,但是大脑两侧顶下小叶和左前额叶可能是计算加工的主要脑部位。由于研究材料、方法和程序的不同,大脑皮层的广泛区域都有可能参与计算加工。     

试析联结主义范式对婴儿发展的解释

用联结主义范式作为解释婴儿发展的机制已成为当前认知发展研究的新趋势。本文以婴儿分类和客体永久性为范例,分析了这一范式在解释婴儿发展方面的理论潜力及不足。     

我国城市居民消费心理预期的结构及其影响因素研究

本研究采用自编《消费心理预期结构问卷》对1097名城市居民进行了研究,结果表明：1《消费心理预期结构问卷》具有较高的信度和效度;2．消费心理预期由预测经历、信息量、价格知觉水平、信息来源与渠道,以及预测依据等5个因素构成;3．现阶段,我国城市居民消费心理预期的一般特点是预期的准确性不高预期的理性化程度尚有待提高;影响消费心理预期结构的主要因素是消费者的性另、年龄、学历、职业和所在城市等变量。     

Effects of Trust in Superiors and Influence of Superiors on the Association Between Individual-Job Congruence and Job Performance/Satisfaction

This research examines the moderating influences of trust in superiors and influence of superiors as elements of an organization communication system on the association between individual-job congruence and job performance/satisfaction. Data from 302 employees were used to assess the research design variables of growth need strength, job scope, trust in superiors, influence of superiors, job performance, and job satisfaction. Moderated regression analysis gave weak support to trust and influence as moderators of the association between individual-job congruence and both job performance and satisfaction. The results did, however, provide justification for trust in superiors and influence of superiors as predictors of performance and satisfaction. The data suggest that other factors may account for changes in the research variables.