Beyond genetic explanations for leadership: The moderating role of the social environment

Leadership role occupancy has recently been shown to have a genetic basis. We extend prior research by examining the moderating effects of the social environment during adolescence on the genetic influences on leadership role occupancy at work. Utilizing a sample of male twins (89 pairs of identical and 54 pairs of fraternal twins, with a mean age of 36.5 years), we found that genetic influences are weaker for those reared in enriched environments (i.e., higher family socioeconomic status, higher perceived parental support, and lower perceived conflict with parents). For those twins who had relatively poorer social environments, genetic influences on leadership role occupancy are significantly greater. These results have important implications for early interventions on leadership development inside and outside organizations.     

The relative influence of advice from human experts and statistical methods on forecast adjustments

Decision makers and forecasters often receive advice from different sources including human experts and statistical methods. This research examines, in the context of stock price forecasting, how the apparent source of the advice affects the attention that is paid to it when the mode of delivery of the advice is identical for both sources. In Study 1, two groups of participants were given the same advised point and interval forecasts. One group was told that these were the advice of a human expert and the other that they were generated by a statistical forecasting method. The participants were then asked to adjust forecasts they had previously made in light of this advice. While in both cases the advice led to improved point forecast accuracy and better calibration of the prediction intervals, the advice which apparently emanated from a statistical method was discounted much more severely. In Study 2, participants were provided with advice from two sources. When the participants were told that both sources were either human experts or both were statistical methods, the apparent statistical‐based advice had the same influence on the adjusted estimates as the advice that appeared to come from a human expert. However when the apparent sources of advice were different, much greater attention was paid to the advice that apparently came from a human expert. Theories of advice utilization are used to identify why the advice of a human expert is likely to be preferred to advice from a statistical method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Therapist Positioning and Power in Discursive Therapies: A Comparative Analysis

The “discursive turn” in therapy gave the therapeutic relationship its deserved significance, which was implied but never fully recognized in traditional therapy literature. The exception would be the writing of Rogers, Satir, and Whitaker. Therapists’ actions in relation to clients became the topic of critical analysis and reflection rather than a resource for addressing some underlying inter- or intra-psychic forces and processes. This paper focuses on the issue of the therapist’s relational engagement with families, particularly the notion of therapist power, as conceived within three discursive approaches to family therapy: narrative, solution-focused, and collaborative.

Does empathy predict adolescents' bullying and defending behavior?

Through structural equation modeling, this study tested a path of relations in which different levels of empathic responsiveness were posited to be differently associated to bullying and defending behavior. Three hundred and eighteen Italian adolescents (142 girls and 176 boys; mean age = 13.2 years) completed the Davis's Interpersonal Reactivity Index [Davis, 1983] for empathy and the Participant role scales [Salmivalli et al., 1996] for bullying and defending behavior. The results revealed that the model fitted the data adequately, but only in the case of boys. As hypothesized, low levels of empathic responsiveness were associated to students' involvement in bullying others. In contrast, empathy was positively associated with actively helping victimized schoolmates. However, the estimates algorithm did not reach convergence with girls' data. The current findings confirm and extend the literature on the relation between empathy, prosociality and aggressive behavior. Educational implications are also discussed.     

不同训练方法对小学生分享行为影响的实验研究

本研究采用情境讨论、角色扮演和归因训练法对小学生分享行为进行为期两个月的训练,结果表明不同训练方法对培养小学生的分享行为都有明显作用,其中角色扮演法对小学生分享行为影响的效果最好,归因训练法次之,情景讨论法稍差;实验训练对培养小学女生分享行为的效果要明显优于对小学男生的效果,但情景讨论法对女生影响的效果优于男生,角色扮演训练对男生的影响效果要稍优于女生,但差异都不明显,而归因训练法对女生的训练效果明显地优于男生。     

父亲的角色态度对其教养投入的影响：母亲态度类型的调节作用

本研究采用双亲关于父亲角色的态度问卷及父亲教养投入问卷,对427个3~7岁儿童的父母进行调查,考察父亲关于自身角色的态度对其教养投入的影响以及母亲关于父亲角色的态度类型在其中的调节作用.结果表明:(1)父亲关于自身教养价值、教养动机、教养技能的态度均可正向预测其教养投入,而父亲关于自身教养天性的态度对其教养投入没有显著的预测作用;(2)母亲态度类型在父亲的教养动机与其教养投入之间具有调节作用,在父亲角色态度的其他维度与教养投入之间无显著的调节效应.当母亲为矛盾型和拒绝型时,父亲的教养动机可正向预测其教养投入;当母亲为接纳型时,父亲的教养动机对其教养投入不具有预测作用.     

基于眼动数据的一例角色书信疗法临床案例的分析与启示

采用眼动法,探究来访者阅读去信与回信时认知信息的变化,以及新手型咨询师与来访者在阅读角色书信时认知信息的差异。结果表明,来访者阅读回信时,对去信中诱发不良情绪的部分认知因素予以回应;新手型咨询师的注视时间显著短于来访者,注视次数多于来访者,热点区域不同于来访者。结果说明,往复的角色书信可以促进来访者转变不良认知;新手型咨询师对角色书信的理解与来访者存在不同。     

从毕生发展的角度看个体分类倾向的两次转变——材料的生命性和可操作性的作用

研究从毕生发展的视角考察了个体分类倾向的发展轨迹,并探讨任务材料内容可能对其产生的影响。选取幼儿园、小学、中学、大学和中老年个体各30名作为研究对象,记录他们面对不同的分类材料(有/无生命、高/低可操作性)的分类倾向。结果表明个体的分类倾向经历了两次转变:(1)进入小学后主题分类倾向逐渐降低,并在2、3年级时最低;(2)进入中学之后,个体逐渐恢复对主题分类倾向的偏好,中学和大学的个体面对含有生命体或是可操作性高的材料会比面对非生命体或可操作性低的材料时,更倾向于使用主题分类的策略。这一结果表明,个体对不同材料内容的分类倾向的发展轨迹存在差异,研究结果有助于理解个体概念组织的形成和发展过程。     

主题还是分类学? 对事物分类倾向的发展研究

研究旨在探讨个体分类倾向的发展趋势与影响因素.实验一采用图片、文字两种方式呈现实验材料,并使用不同指导语.要求被试选择三个事物中关系更近的两个.结果表明,成人比儿童具有更显著的按照主题分类的倾向,实验材料的呈现方式对于被试分类倾向没有显著影响.实验二进一步考察了分类倾向的发展轨迹,随着年龄增长,个体按照主题划分事物的倾向增强,由倾向于按照分类学规则向按照主题分类的转变可能发生在小学低中年级之间.