Promising New Developments in the Therapist–Client Relationship: A Philosophy of Science Review and Preview

Two questions were central: What are the current and what were the past new developments in the therapist–client relationship? By means of a “philosophy of science analysis,” what principles may be taken as helping to account for these new developments? Nine principles were identified in a review, including the articles in the present theme issue of the journal. The proposal and invitation are to use these nine principles to generate further, future, promising new developments in the therapist–client relationship.     

Nonlinear Indicator-Level Moderation in Latent Variable Models

Linear, nonlinear, and nonparametric moderated latent variable models have been developed to investigate possible interaction effects between a latent variable and an external continuous moderator on the observed indicators in the latent variable model. Most moderation models have focused on moderators that vary across persons but not across the indicators (e.g., moderators like age and socioeconomic status). However, in many applications, the values of the moderator may vary both across persons and across indicators (e.g., moderators like response times and confidence ratings). Indicator-level moderation models are available for categorical moderators and linear interaction effects. However, these approaches require respectively categorization of the continuous moderator and the assumption of linearity of the interaction effect. In this article, parametric nonlinear and nonparametric indicator-level moderation methods are developed. In a simulation study, we demonstrate the viability of these methods. In addition, the methods are applied to a real data set pertaining to arithmetic ability.     

Beyond positive or negative: variability in daily parent-adolescent interaction quality is associated with adolescent emotion dysregulation

Previous work on the contribution of family environments to adolescent emotion dysregulation has tended to focus on broad parenting characteristics (such as warmth); however, it is possible that day-to-day variability in parenting may also relate to emotion dysregulation. The current study sought to test whether inconsistency in the quality of daily parent-youth interactions related to multiple indices of emotion dysregulation in adolescents. Two-hundred-twenty-two adolescents (ages 13–16; 53% female) participated with one parent. Adolescents completed 14-days of diary reporting on the quality of interactions with their parent (negative/neutral/positive) and their emotion dysregulation experiences for each day. Analyses reveal that, beyond the effects of average interaction quality, adolescents with greater variability in the quality of their interactions with their parent reported greater average emotion dysregulation across the days of diary recording and demonstrated greater variability in their ratings of daily emotion dysregulation. Findings were not accounted for by parental warmth or hostility, parent-reported trait-level emotion regulation, or day-level associations between study variables. In these ways, greater variability – and not merely greater negativity – during interactions between parents and adolescents was related to adolescent emotion dysregulation, suggesting that consistency in parent–adolescent relationships may be an important dimension of psychosocial risk to consider within families.     

Do opposites attract? Assimilation and differentiation as relationship-building strategies

In addressing the call for the application of learning from other domains to the sales context, our work integrates the optimal distinctiveness theory with the study of buyer–seller relationships. We conceptualize two main buyer–seller relationship-building strategies – a value-added differentiation strategy and a compatibility-based assimilation strategy – and present an integrative theoretical framework explaining how these two strategies can be leveraged in the business and personal domains to meet customer needs and improve sales performance. Using the theory, we reconcile conflicting findings on the use of similarities and differences between salespeople and customers in buyer–seller relationships. Our theoretical framework helps salespeople address the dynamic nature of dyadic relationships strategically in a way that promotes customer satisfaction, improves the firm’s performance, and nurtures its competitive advantage.     

Romantic relationships and fading of affect for memories of the shared past

The tendency for the affect associated with positive autobiographical events to fade less over time than the affect associated with negative autobiographical events (the fading affect bias, FAB) has been observed in a variety of contexts, but numerous mediators have been reported. This current study searches for the FAB, and for potential moderators of the FAB, in the context of romantic relationship memories. Both nonsexual types of memories and sexual types of memories showed the FAB. Moreover, the FAB emerged for memories of current relationships, but not for memories of past failed relationships. The FAB also emerged for securely attached individuals, but not for individuals exhibiting other attachment styles. In addition, the FAB was moderated by relationship quality, (for failed relationships) need to belong, sexual esteem, and sexual depression. Implications of these findings both for memory and for relationships are discussed.     

网络亲子沟通对留守初中生社会适应的影响:一个有调节的中介模型

在信息社会的时代背景下,为探讨网络亲子沟通对留守初中生社会适应的影响及其内在机制。本研究使用网络亲子沟通问卷、亲子关系问卷、获益性解释问卷、问题行为量表、自尊量表、抑郁量表和生活满意度量表,对492名留守初中生进行调查。结果表明：（1）在网络亲子沟通、亲子关系、获益性解释和社会适应中,两两呈显著正相关;（2）网络亲子沟通不仅能直接正向预测留守初中生的社会适应,还能通过亲子关系的中介作用对其产生影响;（3）网络亲子沟通对留守初中生社会适应影响的直接效应以及亲子关系的中介效应均受到获益性解释的调节,且这两种效应在高获益性解释群体中都更为显著。本研究结果有助于揭示网络亲子沟通对留守儿童社会适应影响及其作用机制,对留守儿童社会适应的改善也有一定的指导意义。     

关系持续预期与规范目标激活：合适性逻辑下的信任决策

人际互动过程中,信任作为决策过程受到诸多因素的影响,信任的决策逻辑在不同的研究背景中存在冲突。本研究以合适性为信任决策框架,互动关系为激活规范目标的变量,分析了存在互动关系持续预期和不存在互动关系持续预期对信任行为的影响及其影响机制。结果表明：（1）被试间存在关系持续时,信任水平较高;关系持续预期消失时,信任水平显著下降。（2）被试对关系持续的重要性感知与其信任决策显著相关。（3）情境中的目标未被激活时,个体的信任倾向与信任决策显著相关;而当情境目标被激活时,信任倾向与信任决策相关不显著。     

多元视角下的异性友谊

异性友谊是一种重要的人际关系。已有研究考察了一般异性友谊的特点、影响和维系, 同时也考察了利友关系的心理特征和身心影响。异性朋友可能会对青少年和大学生的社会适应带来消极影响, 但这一影响可能具有文化差异。进化心理学取向的研究者主要考察了异性友谊的进化功能, 他们认为异性友谊能够帮助个体完成长期择偶目标或短期择偶目标, 同时还能够为个体提供重要的择偶信息。未来研究有必要结合新出现的友谊理论, 考察不同年龄阶段的异性友谊, 同时关注异性友谊中的个体差异变量, 比如人际性行为取向、暗黑三合一性格和择偶智力。     

母子关系、师幼关系与学前流动儿童的社会适应行为

母子关系和师幼关系是儿童早期发展中最重要的人际关系, 在儿童社会适应中扮演着重要的角色。研究以北京市271名学前流动儿童和552名学前城市儿童为被试, 采用问卷法考察母子关系、师幼关系与学前流动儿童的社会技能、外显和内隐问题行为之间的关系。结果发现:(1)流动儿童母子关系亲密程度低于城市儿童, 母子关系冲突性、师幼关系亲密性和冲突性与城市儿童没有差异;(2)母子关系对儿童社会适应行为的预测作用在流动儿童和城市儿童上没有显著差异, 母子关系亲密性正向预测社会技能, 负向预测内隐问题行为;母子关系冲突性负向预测社会技能, 正向预测外显和内隐问题行为;师幼关系亲密性正向预测城市和流动儿童的社会技能, 并且显著负向预测流动儿童的内隐问题行为;(3)师幼关系对母子关系的调节作用主要表现在流动儿童而非城市儿童上, 师幼关系低冲突能够减少母子关系冲突性对流动儿童社会技能的负向预测作用, 师幼关系高亲密能够减少母子关系冲突性对流动儿童内隐问题行为的正向预测作用。