Positive Mood and Future-Oriented Self-Evaluation

When individuals think about their future, feedback on their strengths and weaknesses may often serve as a useful source of information. Three studies investigated the influence of positive and neutral moods on feedback seeking. In Studies 1 and 2, positive mood increased interest in feedback about weaknesses when this information was useful for self-assessment and self-improvement. But when the feedback was not useful for these superordinate, long-term goals then positive mood directed participants’ interest to strength-focused feedback, thereby serving short-term, affective concerns (e.g., feeling good about oneself). Study 3 directly manipulated self-evaluative goals. When a learning goal was activated, positive mood increased interest in weaknesses-focused feedback, but when an affective goal was activated, positive mood increased interest in strength-focused feedback. These results support our hypothesis that positive mood attunes individuals to the relationships of goals and means, thus promoting actions that serve primary goals.

Unconscious semantic priming extends to novel unseen stimuli

Many subliminal priming experiments are thought to demonstrate unconscious access to semantics. However, most of them can be reinterpreted in a non-semantic framework that supposes only that subjects learn to map non-semantic visual features of the subliminal stimuli onto motor responses. In order to clarify this issue, we engaged subjects in a number comparison task in which the target number was preceded by another invisible masked number. We show that unconscious semantic priming occurs even for prime stimuli that are never presented as target stimuli, and for which no stimulus–response learning could conceivably occur. We also report analyses of the impact of the numerical relation between prime and target, and of the impact of learning on priming, all of which confirm that unconscious utilization of semantic information is indeed possible.     

先秦社会心理思想管窥

先秦时期出现了一些富有时代特色的社会心理思想。主要包括：同人心、恒产恒心、上行下效、赏罚贵信等。其中“同人心”是先秦社会心理思想的总纲,其它社会心理思想都是以此为出发点和归宿的。先秦思想家们使用了一套与现代社会心理学不同的概念体系。他们凭借这套概念体系准确反映出特定历史条件下中国人的社会心态,至今仍有借鉴价值。     

Memoria y adquisición del conocimiento

RESUMEN

En este artículo se sitúan los trabajos clásicos de Craik y Lockhart y Craik y Tulving en el contexto del estudio global de la memoria. Se destaca el énfasis de los dos últimos en los procesos en detrimento de las descripciones estructurales, situando la clave en el nivel de profundidad al que se procese la información y subrayando la importancia de relacionarla con nuestro conocimiento del mundo. Con relación al estudio de Craik y Tulving se examinan tres cuestiones fundamentales: el procedimiento de aprendizaje incidental, el concepto de profundidad de procesamiento y la noción de memoria episódica. Para ello revisan algunos estudios que cuestionan que el procesamiento tenga lugar únicamente de abajo a arriba a través de una jerarquía de estadios fijos -según propusieron Craik y Lockhart-, abordando diversos intentos de especificar el concepto de nivel de profundidad. La última parte se reserva al problema de identificar la noción de significado psicológico con la noción de significado procedente de la Lingüística, presentando las aportaciones de los teóricos “neogibsonianos”. El trabajo finaliza con algunas reflexiones respecto al concepto de memoria episódica aportado por Tulving.     

Estabilidad de la posición de una facción e influencia

RESUMEN

Los estudios clásicos de Festinger (sobre las presiones a la uniformidad) y de Asch (la presión a la conformidad) despertaron el interés por la influencia social. En la última década el interés se ha centrado en la influencia que ejerce la minoría consistente sobre la mayoría. El artículo se centra en las similitudes entre los fenómenos de conformidad e influencia minoritaria. La literatura acerca de cada uno de estos procesos indica que lo que dictará si el proceso es de conformidad, influencia minoritaria o compromiso es la estabilidad de la posición propuesta por la mayoría o minoría. Finalmente se discute sobre el proceso de polarización y se pone en relación este estudio con la decisión del Tribunal Supremo de los EE. UU. de tolerar los veredictos no unánimes de un jurado.     

An experimental investigation of daytime monitoring for sleep-related threat in primary insomnia

An experimental manipulation was conducted to test the hypothesis that monitoring for sleep-related threat during the day triggers a cycle of cognitive processes that includes increased negative thinking, increased use of safety behaviours, increased perceived impairment in functioning, and increased self-reported sleepiness. Forty-seven individuals with primary insomnia were randomly assigned to a monitoring group (instructed to monitor their body sensations), a no-monitoring group (instructed to distract from their body sensations), or a no-instruction group. The manipulations to monitor or not monitor were administered immediately on waking and participants were asked to continue the manipulation throughout the experimental day. The monitoring group reported more negative thoughts, the use of more safety behaviours, and more sleepiness during the day relative to the no-instruction group. These findings offer support to a recent cognitive model, which identifies daytime monitoring for sleep-related threat as a key factor in the maintenance of the daytime distress and difficulty functioning in chronic insomnia.     

Hemispheric interaction,task complexity,and emotional valence: Evidence from naturalistic images

Two experiments extend the ecological validity of tests of hemispheric interaction in three novel ways. First, we present a broad class of naturalistic stimuli that have not yet been used in tests of hemispheric interaction. Second, we test whether probable differences in complexity within the class of stimuli are supported by outcomes from measures of hemispheric interaction. Third, we use a procedure that presents target stimuli at fixation rather than at a lateralized location in order to more closely approximate normal viewing behavior.     

Attentional bias for words and faces in social anxiety

Conflicting findings concerning the nature and presence of attentional bias in social anxiety and social phobia have been reported in the literature. This paper reports the findings of two studies comparing people with high and low social anxiety on dot probe tasks using words, faces photographed in front view, and faces photographed in profile as stimuli. In Study 1 those with high social anxiety displayed an attentional bias towards negative faces. The low social anxiety group showed an attentional bias towards positive faces. No significant effects were observed on the dot probe using words as stimuli. Study 2 used pairs of faces presented in profile as though looking at each other. One of the faces displayed either a positive, negative or neutral expression. The second face always had a neutral expression, and in half of the trials it was the subject's own face. The findings of this more ecologically valid procedure replicated those of Study 1. Facilitated attention to dots following emotional faces was specific to threatening facial stimuli. From these studies it appears that the facial dot probe task is a more sensitive index of attentional bias than the word task in a non-clinical sample with social anxiety.     

The law and lawyers: Through psychodynamic eyes

Abstract

This article looks at some of the unconscious processes that operate among solicitors in general practice. In particular it considers various defences against the anxiety felt by solicitors partly because of the nature of their work and partly because of what is projected onto them by their clients. It argues that these defences have become embodied in the legal system itself as ‘socially structured defence mechanisms’ (Menzies Lyth 1989).     

Randomized Effectiveness Trial of an Internet,Pure Self-Help,Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Depressive Symptoms in Young Adults

This study evaluated an Internet-delivered, cognitive behavioral skills training program versus a treatment-as-usual (TAU) control condition targeting depression symptoms in young adults aged 18 to 24 years. Potential participants were mailed a recruitment brochure; if interested, they accessed the study website to complete an online consent and baseline assessment. Intervention participants could access the website at their own pace and at any time. Reminder postcards were mailed periodically to encourage return use of the intervention. The pure self-help intervention was delivered without contact with a live therapist. The primary depression outcome measure was the Patient Health Questionnaire, administered at 0, 5, 10, 16, and 32 weeks after enrollment. A small but significant between-group effect was found from Week 0 to Week 32 for the entire sample (N = 160, d = .20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00–0.50), with a moderate effect among women (n = 128, d .42, 95%C1 = 0.09–0.77). Greater depression reduction was associated with two measures of lower website usage, total minutes, and total number of page hits. Although intervention effects were modest, they were observed against a background of substantial TAU depression pharmacotherapy and psychosocial services. Highly disseminable, low-cost, and self-help interventions such as this have the potential to deliver a significant public health benefit.