The effects of short-term L2 training on components of executive control in Indian bilinguals

This study investigated whether a short training (8 weeks) in the second-language (English) has any facilitative effect on components of executive functions in young adults. A pre-post design was used with two groups of participants: one group (experimental group) of students received English language training for eight weeks, and another group (control group) matched on age and background did not. Executive function tasks (Flanker, Stroop, and color-shape switching task) along with the object naming and working memory tasks were administered before and after the training. We observed that the experimental group demonstrated significant improvement in task switching, working memory capacity, and language skills. Findings from the study provide evidence that short training in second-language can enhance some components of executive functions besides improving language skills in young adult students. This finding contributes to a better understanding of language training and executive function among young adult bilinguals.

     

Cervical Cancer Survivors: Meaning in Life

This study endeavors to understand the meaning in life of cervical cancer survivors in India using narrative analysis. Cervical Cancer survivor participants were interviewed to obtain a holistic view of their experiences in their own words, which was followed by administration of Thematic Apperception Test. Interview data was analyzed using Narrative Analysis. The narratives indicated that the participants viewed life being predestined and guided by fate. In some cases the realization of immortality resulted in peace and satisfaction. This renewed meaning was strongly mediated by faith in God and increased religiosity which facilitated hope and resilience. Strong support systems further enhanced meaning in their lives. However, underlying factors like fatigue, fear of recurrence of the disease and perceived burden continue to be distressing factors. On the other hand, some participants who experienced a preoccupation with somatic complaints and ambivalent feelings toward God experienced a sense of meaninglessness, lack of purpose and diminished hope. The most frequently used defense mechanisms were sublimation, reaction formation, undoing, displacement and projection.     

“Do You See and Hear More? A Study on Telugu Perception Verbs”

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - Verbs of perception describe the actual perception of some entity and it is emphasized by earlier researchers that lexicon in languages is...     

The moderating influence of socio‐demographic factors on the relationship between consumer psychographics and the attitude towards private label brands

This study examines the moderating influence of socio‐demographic variables (gender, age, education, income and family size) on the relationship between psychographic measures (general deal proneness, price‐related deal proneness, end‐of‐aisle display proneness, impulsiveness, smart‐shopper self‐perceptions and brand loyalty) and consumers' attitude towards private label brands. The proposed hypotheses are tested by collecting data at three different British supermarkets and assessed using structural equation modelling. The study reveals findings contrary to the prevailing views about consumer psychographics and socio‐demographics, including the following: (i) the significance of deal proneness among high‐income consumers; (ii) the end‐of‐aisle display proneness among older, high‐income and highly educated consumers; and (c) the relationship between impulsiveness and brand attitude among low‐income and less‐educated consumers. The study also provides multiple insights relating to psycho‐demographic targeting and display strategies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An empirical comparison of several interval estimation procedures for coefficient alpha

Following a general introduction to Tukey's Jackknife technique and the construction of approximate confidence intervals, ten variants of the procedure are defined for giving interval estimates for coefficient alpha. A data base of known population characteristics was generated and used to compare the robustness of the ten Jackknife alternatives with Feldt's well-known sampling theory based upon the assumptions of normality. The empirical results indicate that out of the ten variants, defined by five transformations and two methods of data subdivision, only two are justifiable competitors to Feldt's approach.