The path or the goal? Decision vs. information focus in biased information seeking after preliminary decisions

Research on the phenomenon of selective exposure to information demonstrates that after preliminary or final decisions, people show a preference for supporting rather than conflicting information (confirmation bias). In this article, we examine conditions that increase or decrease distortions in the search for information. We report on four experiments indicating that the confirmation bias is influenced by whether people focus on their decision or on the presented pieces of information during the information search. Focusing on the decision, for example, because a reward for a correct decision is promised or simply because participants repeatedly think of it, increases the confirmation bias. On the other hand, if participants focus on the available pieces of information because they have to invest money in order to search for information or because they have to evaluate the individual pieces of information, the confirmation bias decreases. Implications for theoretical understanding and interventions for decision-making situations are discussed.     

负面身体自我女性对身体信息的记忆偏向： 来自ERP研究的证据

采用事件相关电位（ERPs）技术探讨了负面身体自我女性（大学生）对胖-瘦两类身体图片进行再认时的脑内时程动态变化。结果发现,相对于控制组（正常女大学生）,胖负面身体自我女大学生在750~800ms的时间窗口内,“胖图”比“瘦图”诱发出一个更正的ERP波形,差异波的地形图显示该正成分在中前部有更强的激活。进一步对差异波作偶极子溯源分析,结果发现,该正成分主要起源于右侧枕叶附近。这似乎表明,右侧枕叶的激活与身体自我信息的出现有关,与负面身体自我图式的体验有关     

Les effets de l’attrait,du sexe,des aptitudes de candidats à des postes de niveau hiérarchique et type sexuel différents sur les jugements de recrutabilité, d’utilité et de désirabilité

Gender or beauty stereotypes strongly influence evaluations and hiring decisions. Recent studies (Jawahar & Mattson, 2005) show an evolution of the lack of Fit model (Heilman, 1983) : the beauty of the women is not any more a handicap for certain managerial jobs. In order to test the model, we distinguished the hierarchical status and the sex type of the job and we measured the effects of attractiveness, gender and of the aptitude on the hirability, on the perceived desirability and utility and on the perceived competence. According to the variance analysis, the attractive applicants were ranked as more hirable, more useful, more socially desirable, and more competent. The applicants who were highly qualified were considered more hirable, more useful and more competent but the aptitude did not influence the desirability.     

身体洁净与道德

“洁净近于圣洁/美德”的隐喻广泛存在于文化、宗教领域之中。近年来的实证研究表明身体洁净能减轻不道德情绪, 得以清洁的身体自我会提升道德自我意象, 对他人道德判断的苛刻性降低, 并且不同身体部位(嘴、手)执行不道德行为之后个体有清洁相应部位的倾向。隐喻观和具身认知观构成了这一效应的两种解释理论。对身体洁净与道德关联性的稳定性、特异性以及跨文化的一致性仍是有待深入探讨的问题。文章从身体洁净对道德自我影响的临界点、不同形式身体洁净的心理效应、身体洁净在道德应对中的地位、跨学科理论的融合等几个方面提出了未来研究的设想。     

Spirituality and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Stress Counter-balancing Effects on the Well-being of Older Adults

The goal of this study was to examine stress-ameliorating effects of religiosity, spirituality, and healthy lifestyle behaviors on the stressful relationship of chronic illness and the subjective physical well-being of 221 older adults. We also investigated whether the intervening variables functioned as coping behaviors and orientations or as adaptations in late life. Guided by the stress paradigm, path analysis was used to assess these relationships in a stress suppressor model and a distress deterrent model. No suppressor effects were found; however a number of distress deterrent relationships were detected. Spirituality, physical activities, and healthy diet all contributed to higher subjective physical well-being, as counter-balancing effects, in the distress deterrent model. The findings have implications for future research on the role of spirituality, religiosity and lifestyle behaviors on the well-being of chronically ill older adults. Findings also support the need for studying different dimensions of religiosity and spirituality in an effort to understand coping versus adaptation in behaviors and orientations. Gracie H. Boswell, Ph.D., M.Ed. (Case Western Reserve University) and (M. Ed.- Kent State University). She is a Carolina Program in Health and Aging Research Scientist at the Institute on Aging- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests have been social gerontology and quality of life, emphasizing religiosity/spirituality. Eva Kahana, Ph.D. (University of Chicago) is Pierce T. and Elizabeth D. Robson Professor of Humanities and Director of the Elderly Care Research Center- Case Western Reserve University. Her research concentration has been the sociology of aging (coping & stress and institutionalization). Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, Ph.D. (Northwestern University) is Director- Center for Aging and Diversity, Institute on Aging, Professor- School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Administration at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests have been caregiving and minority health disparities.     

The relation between scores on the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire and aggressive acts,impulsiveness, competitiveness,dominance, and sexual jealousy

This paper examines the relation of the four subscales (physical, verbal, anger and hostility) of the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) to act‐based aggression questionnaires (involving same‐sex or partners as opponents, and direct or indirect aggression) and evolutionarily based predictors of aggression, using an online student sample. All aggression measures were moderately correlated with one another. The BPAQ physical and verbal scales were most closely related to act‐based measures of direct aggression to a same‐sex other and the hostility scale to indirect aggression to a same‐sex other. The evolutionary variables were less closely related to the BPAQ than were the act‐based measures. Dominance and sexual jealousy were predictors of BPAQ physical, verbal and anger, and impulsiveness was a significant predictor of anger. Aggr. Behav. 32:1–10, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Perceived Control Over Aging-Related Declines: Adaptive Beliefs and Behaviors

ABSTRACT— The belief that people are in control of desired outcomes, including those associated with aging, is a hallmark of American culture. Nevertheless, older adults are less likely than the young to believe there are things that can be done to control aging-related declines in areas such as memory. Within age groups, individual differences in control beliefs are related to cognitive performance, health, and well-being. Mechanisms linking perceived control and positive outcomes include adaptive behaviors such as strategy use and physical activity. There is some evidence that control beliefs can be modified in later life, as illustrated in an intervention for fear of falling. Further work is needed to examine the antecedents of perceived control in later life and the implications of control beliefs in other aging-related domains.     

IT企业员工压力源、应对方式与身心健康的相关研究

本研究旨在探索压力源、应对方式与身心健康的关系和作用机制。结果表明：所有压力源和控制型应对方式与身心健康有显著相关;对男性心理健康起预测作用的压力源为人际关系、角色模糊、工作家庭平衡、职业发展,且控制型应对方式在角色模糊与心理健康之间起调节作用;对男性身体健康起预测作用的压力源为工作负荷、角色冲突和控制型应对方式;对女性心理健康起预测作用的压力源为工作家庭平衡,对女性身体健康起预测作用的压力源为工作负荷。     

Effet des connaissances linguistiques en langue maternelle (arabe vs portugais) sur les performances phonologiques et morphologiques en français langue seconde

On the one hand, this study aims to determine whether acquisitions in mother tongue influence learners' phonological and morphological knowledge of French as second language. Therefore, Arabic and Portuguese speakers' sensitivity and awareness of different sublexical French units are compared. On the second hand, this study aims to appreciate the link between this knowledge and recognition of French written words among these two populations. Results indicate that Arabic speakers are not sensitive to rime. However, they are more competent to analyse explicitly the morphoderivational structure of words than Portuguese speakers. Finally, different profiles of readers are determined considering their mother tongue. Results are discussed in light of mother tongue linguistics features and their closeness to French.     

A Comparison of Study Session Formats on Attendance and Quiz Performance in a College Course

We compared two formats for optional study sessions offered to students in a research methods course. Study sessions alternated between a game format (e.g., Behavioral Jeopardy) and a student-directed question and answer format, presented in counterbalanced order across different sections of the same course. The results of the alternating treatments design in Study 1 indicated that, despite improvements in quiz performance relative to baseline, there were no consistent differences between the two formats on attendance at the study sessions or on weekly quiz performance. Similar results were obtained in a systematic replication (Study 2) in which opportunities to respond to game questions were equated across study sessions.