Gratitude in buyer-seller relationships: a dyadic investigation

In addressing the call for research to understand affect in sales, this research uses moral affect theory and literature on emotional contagion to examine the effects of salesperson gratitude and customer gratitude on downstream relationship outcomes. The findings of this work suggest that salesperson prosocial behaviors account for the positive association between salesperson gratitude and customer gratitude. These prosocial behaviors – information sharing and extra-role behaviors – combined with customer gratitude serve as explanatory mechanisms for the positive effects of salesperson gratitude on customer commitment, which is an important result of buyer-seller interactions and an essential component of long-term relationships. Further, this research finds that salesperson extra-role behaviors and relationship length interact such that salesperson extra-role behaviors cultivate customer gratitude within developing and established relationships, but that these behaviors are particularly beneficial for less mature relationships. Understanding the role of salesperson gratitude and customer gratitude in driving relational outcomes contributes to both a theoretical understanding of the role of affect in sales and practical applications of emotions within buyer-seller relationships.     

Self-focused attention and safety behaviors across group therapies for social anxiety disorder

Background: Self-focused attention (SFA) and safety behaviors are two variables implicated in the maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD).

Design: The present study examined SFA and safety behaviors across two therapies for SAD, cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) and mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy (MAGT).

Method: Participants with symptoms meeting criteria for SAD (N?=?137) were randomly assigned to the 12-week-treatment groups (n?=?53 for each condition) or a waitlist control (n?=?31). Variables were assessed at baseline, midtreatment, posttreatment, and a 3-month follow-up.

Results: Both treatment conditions reported significantly lower SFA and safety behaviors compared to control, but did not differ from one another at posttreatment. Mediation analyses supported the following models: (1) safety behaviors mediating the relationship between SFA and social anxiety, and (2) SFA mediating the relationship between safety behaviors and social anxiety. These models were supported for both treatment groups.

Conclusions: Both treatments may have the potential to reduce the SFA and safety behaviors that serve to maintain SAD.     

Relation Between Aggression Exposure During Youth and Later Resting Skin Conductance Levels

Recent research efforts have focused on examining the relationship between environmental and physiological factors to better understand the effect that childhood chronic stress might have on adult health outcomes. This study examines the relation between childhood parental aggression exposure and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), as measured by resting skin conductance levels (SCLs). Participants (N = 155) completed retrospective self-report measures of childhood exposure to interparental aggression and physically aggressive parenting. The 2-way interaction between exposure to physically aggressive parenting and interparental aggression accounted for unique variance in adulthood SCL. Sex differences emerged in this relationship. Results suggest that the type of aggression exposure might play an important role in the relationship between stressors in youth and resting SNS activity in adulthood. Future research areas are identified, including the need to examine plasticity in the SNS depending on the age of experienced aggression and the age of intervention.     

Fatalistic beliefs,risk perception and traffic safe behaviors

IntroductionRoad safety is a major worldwide concern especially for developing countries where a certain feeling of helplessness predominate. Local authorities are seeking ways to change people's behaviors considered as the first causal factor of traffic accidents. Risk perception and fatalistic beliefs have been identified as important socio-cognitive functioning patterns, which can shed light on people's behaviors towards risks, for prevention purpose. But the way fatalistic beliefs are associated with risk perception and safety behaviors remains blurred in literature.ObjectiveThis article examined the relationship between fatalistic beliefs, risk perception and traffic safety-related behaviors.MethodThe study was carried out in Cameroon on a sample of 525 road users with a questionnaire made up of scales measuring fatalistic beliefs, perceived risk for dangerous traffic events and reported safe behaviors.ResultsAs expected, participants with higher levels of fatalistic beliefs perceived dangerous traffic situations as less risky and reported less safe behaviors. Perceived risk partially mediated the association between fatalistic beliefs and reported safe behaviors.ConclusionPerceiving dangerous traffic situations as risky can mitigate the magnitude of one's fatalistic beliefs on the engagement in protective behaviors. The implications for more effective prevention including both beliefs and perceptions are suggested. One can explain to people how to avoid accidents, emphasizing on their capacity to change their behavior and the gains they retrieved from that behavioral change.     

Developmental Risk and Goodness of Fit in the Mother–Child Relationship: Links to Parenting Stress and Children's Behaviour Problems

Despite the compelling nature of goodness of fit, empirical support has lagged for this construct. The present study examined an interactional approach to measuring goodness of fit and prospectively explored associations with mother–child relationship quality, child behaviour problems and parenting stress across the preschool period. In addition, as goodness of fit might be particularly important for children at developmental risk, the presence of early developmental delay was considered as a moderator of goodness‐of‐fit processes. Children with (n = 110) and without (n = 137) developmental delays and their mothers were coded while interacting in the lab at child age 36 months and during naturalistic home observations at child ages 36 and 48 months. Mothers also completed questionnaires at child age 60 months. Results highlight the effects of child developmental risk as a moderator of mother–child goodness‐of‐fit processes across the preschool period. There was also evidence that the goodness of fit between maternal scaffolding and child activity level at 36 months influenced both mother and child functioning at 60 months. Findings call for more precise models and expanded developmental perspectives to fully capture the transactional and dynamic nature of goodness of fit. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pregnancy Plans of First‐time Mothers and Their Children's Outcomes: An Examination of Mechanisms

Unintended pregnancy is prevalent in the United States and has been linked to challenges for both mothers and their children over time. However, studies have not yet identified mechanisms through which pregnancy intention is associated with children's outcomes. Identification of mechanisms among families at risk for negative outcomes will inform early clinical intervention. This current study examined the association between mothers' pregnancy plans reported during pregnancy and children's externalizing, internalizing, dysregulation, and social–emotional competence outcomes at 3 years old among an at‐risk sample of 682 first‐time mothers from the Predicting and Preventing Neglect in Teen Mothers Study. Further, this study identified mechanisms in the association that can be targeted in clinical intervention. Mediation analyses revealed that mothers' parenting stress when children were 24 months old served as a mechanism in the association between unplanned pregnancy and children's low social–emotional competence at 36 months. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed. Specifically, early intervention with mothers experiencing unplanned pregnancies may help to promote healthy outcomes among their children over time. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

自恋与社交网站使用的关系

自恋作为一种人格特质,以膨胀的自我概念、寻求他人持续的关注和肯定为主要特征,而社交网站鼓励多种形式的自我提升行为,深受自恋者的喜欢。在考察社交网站上的一般性使用行为、不同类型社交平台上、不同性质的使用行为以及具体的使用行为时,均发现了自恋的显著预测作用(自我选择效应);不同形式的社交网站使用行为也会强化个体的自恋水平(媒体效应)。自恋和社交网站使用之间相互作用、相互强化(强化螺旋模型)。两者的关系还受性别、年龄和代际差异以及文化等因素的影响。未来研究还需进一步探讨自恋和社交网站使用行为的界定及测量、两者的作用方向以及研究方法的改进等问题。     

情绪教养视角:父母元情绪理念与儿童心理社会适应

父母对自身和子女情绪反应所持的认知态度或理念,决定了其在儿童情绪社会化过程中的情绪反应、教养行为。在对近30年国内外研究梳理的基础上,从情绪教养视角分析了父母元情绪理念的内涵演变,其在儿童社会化过程中的影响机制、年龄效应、调节因素及元情绪训练干预等。关于父母元情绪理念的研究,未来还需在国内加大本土化研究,发展多样化测量方法,拓展研究内容的基础上完善理论研究,进而探索教育培养的实践干预,改善父母情绪社会化理念以促进儿童健康社会化。     

情绪创造性的影响因素及其与应对方式的关系

探讨情绪创造性的影响因素以及情绪创造性与应对方式的关系及其途径。研究1对150名高中生施测父母教养觉知量表、简式人格问卷、情绪创造性问卷;研究2对152名高中生施测情绪创造性问卷、成就动机量表、应对方式问卷。结果表明,大五人格和父母教养方式均可显著预测情绪创造性;情绪创造性通过成就动机间接影响应对方式,其中有效性通过追求成功动机而促进问题中心应对,准备性通过避免失败动机而促进情绪中心应对。