Stability of choices in a risky decision‐making task: a 3‐year longitudinal study with children and adults

In a 3‐year follow‐up to Levin and Hart's ( 2003 ) study, we observed the same children, now 9–11 years old, and their parents in the same risky decision‐making task. At the aggregate level the same pattern of means was observed across time periods. At the individual level the key variables were significantly correlated across time periods for both children and adults. Taken together with the results from the original study and earlier studies, these results solidify the following conclusions: children utilize both probability and outcome information in risky decision‐making; the tendency to make more risky choices to avoid a loss than to achieve a gain of equal magnitude, which is a major tenet of the leading theories of risky decision‐making, occurs for children as well as adults; children make more risky choices than adults; temperamental predictors of risky choice are valid for children as well as for adults. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

大学生生活满意度判断的文化差异研究

对36个国家8007名大学生的生活满意度进行了问卷调查。多层线性模型分析(HLM)的结果表明:(1)积极情感体验、自我满意和社会关系满意度能显著正向预测生活满意度,而消极情感体验能显著负向预测生活满意度;(2)情感体验、自尊和社会关系满意度对整体生活满意度的预测力存在着显著的国家间差异;(3)个人主义———集体主义是导致生活满意度水平国家间差异的重要因素,同时也对自尊与生活满意度的相关有显著预测作用,但它并不影响情感体验和社会关系满意度与整体生活满意度之间的关系。     

Fluctuations in state implicit self-esteem in response to daily negative events

A repeated assessment study examined changes in state implicit self-esteem after negative events. Multilevel analyses revealed that trait explicit self-esteem and self-concept clarity moderated the within-person association between daily negative events and state implicit self-esteem. People with low trait explicit self-esteem or low self-concept clarity experienced decreases in state implicit self-esteem when they experienced negative life events. In contrast, for people with high trait explicit self-esteem or high self-concept clarity, state implicit self-esteem remained stable after negative events. In addition, changes in state implicit self-esteem remained significant after controlling for state explicit self-esteem and daily negative affect. This study is the first to study changes in implicit self-esteem in the context of daily life events.     

Self-esteem reconsidered: unstable self-esteem outperforms level of self-esteem as vulnerability marker for depression

Previous studies have built up evidence that an unstable self-esteem is associated with vulnerability to depression and that it outperforms level of self-esteem as a predictor for symptoms of depression. However, most of these studies have used student samples exclusively to investigate the role of self-esteem instability in depression vulnerability. Our present study used samples of currently depressed inpatients, formerly depressed individuals, and never-depressed controls to investigate the relationship between self-esteem instability and depression. In addition, we examined the predictive validity of self-esteem instability in predicting future depressive symptoms. The results indicate that self-esteem instability is associated with depression and vulnerability to depression. Furthermore, self-esteem instability interacted with perceived stress variability and depressed mood variability in predicting future depressive symptomatology at six months follow-up. These results are in line with the diathesis-stress model and support the hypothesis that self-esteem instability might be more important than level of self-esteem in predicting vulnerability to depression.     

Predictors of perceived susceptibility to sport-related injury

Little is known about factors associated with perceptions of susceptibility to sport-related injuries. The purpose of the present study was to examine previous experiences with injury and personality factors as predictors of rugby players’ perceived susceptibility to injury. In line with an individual-based approach, it was hypothesized that neuroticism and global self-esteem would be related to perceived susceptibility to sport injuries over and above previous experiences with injuries. Rugby players (N = 235) were asked to report about previous experiences with injury and were administered measures of neuroticism and global self-esteem. Multiple regression analysis revealed that previous experiences with injury were positively related to perceived susceptibility to sport-related injuries. Analyses also supported that neuroticism and global self-esteem are of crucial importance in colouring perceptions of susceptibility to sport-related injury, while statistically controlling for previous injuries. Of particular interest, neuroticism predicted perceived susceptibility, over and above global self-esteem and previous experiences with injury. This study is the first to focus on determinants of perceived susceptibility to sport-related injury and supports the potential role of personality factors and individual dispositions in shaping perceived susceptibility to health problems.     

Measuring Big-Five personality dimensions with the implicit association test – Implicit personality traits or self-esteem?

We examined whether the implicit association test (IAT) could serve as an implicit measure of the dimensions of the Five-Factor Model of Personality. In the first study (N = 84) IAT-effects of the Big-Five (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness) were found and the IAT showed good internal consistencies and convergent validity with an explicit Big-Five questionnaire (NEO-FFI-30). In a second study (N = 50), conducted to determine the overlap of the personality-IATs with implicit self-esteem, the Extraversion and the Neuroticism-IAT were shown to correlate with a self-esteem-IAT only moderately.     

Effects of age and competence type on the emotions: Focusing on sadness and anger

Abstract:  The effects of age and competence type on emotional reactions were demonstrated in this study. Participants: (362 junior high-school students, 658 senior high-school students, 407 undergraduates, and 1027 adults) were asked to rate the Assumed-competence Scale, second version (ACS-2) and Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, which were prepared to classify the participants into four competence types: Omnipotent, Assumed, Self-respective, and Atrophy. They also rated their perceived emotional reactions toward negative personal and social events, and the responses were compared among age groups and competence types. Remarkable results showed that the Assumed and the Atrophy types were prominent in junior and senior high-school students. They tend to get angry toward negative personal events, and they also tend not to respond emotionally toward social events. Another result was that people in the Assumed and Omnipotent types were likely to get angry toward both personal and social events, and they were also less responsive toward social events.     

Negative life events and stability of sense of coherence: a five-year follow-up study of Finnish women and men

A strong sense of coherence (SOC) is found to be associated with good mental health. This study investigated (1) whether negative life events affect level of SOC, (2) whether initial level of SOC modifies the effect of negative life events on SOC, and (3) whether stability of SOC differs between genders. The data were derived from the 15-year Health and Social Support study (N= 17,271). Ordinary linear regression analysis was used. Negative life events decreased the level of SOC among both genders irrespective of the timing of the event. The more recent the life event, the lower the SOC. A strong SOC in 1998 did not protect SOC from declining during follow-up. Specific gender differences were not discovered. SOC was related to negative changes in people's environment. Initially strong SOC was not more stable than initially mediocre or weak SOC. Men and women reacted quite similarly to negative life events.     

核心自我评价：人格倾向研究的新取向

国外学者整合了有关工作满意度的人格倾向研究,并在此基础上提出了核心自我评价的概念。核心自我评价包括四种核心特质：自尊、控制点、神经质和一般自我效能。四种特质构成了一个更为基本的结构。核心自我评价及四种核心特质与工作态度和工作行为存在较强的相关,且能够有效预测这些变量。文章最后指出了今后的研究方向,比如对于结构问题的探讨和跨文化研究的深入