Activated T hybridomas induce upregulation of B7-1 on bystander B lymphoma cells by a contact-dependent interaction utilizing CD40 ligand

Lawton, Kleban, Moss, Rovine & Glicksman's (1989) construction of caregiving appraisal is examined through a principal components analysis and varimax rotation of a data set based on in-depth quantitative interviews with 144 caregivers. Five caregiving appraisal dimensions were identified. Two dealt specifically with the provision of care: "task load caregiving" and "dysfunctional caregiving." The remaining three were primarily concerned with social supportiveness: "intimacy and love," "social captivity," and "social distance." "Dysfunctional caregiving" was the only type of appraisal that had significant bivariate relationships with poor mental health, low psychological well-being and subsequent institutionalization. A sixth dimension identified in this analysis, "inner strength and efficacy," represented psychological resources. Its independence from the appraisal measures supports Lawton et al.'s (1989) assumption that resources and appraisals can be measured separately. In contrast, social resources are better conceptualized as an integral part of caregiving appraisals.     

Theory, explanation, and a third generation of theoretical development in social gerontology

Efforts at cumulative knowledge building in social gerontology have been lax, judging from research articles published in journals between 1990 and 1994. Too little attention has been paid to the cumulative development of theory; readers are left with many empirical generalizations but underdeveloped explanations by which to interpret findings and build upon them in subsequent research. To assist future theory development in social gerontology, we review seven theoretical perspectives referenced most frequently in recent journals: (1) social constructionist, (2) social exchange, (3) life course, (4) feminist, (5) age stratification (age and society), (6) political economy of aging, and (7) critical theory. We suggest that, taken together, these represent a "third generation" of explanation in social gerontology, noting their debt to older and more established traditions in social science theory. We argue that authors and journal reviewers should place more emphasis on theory development - which means, most simply, the construction of explicit explanations in accounting for empirical findings - if knowledge development about social aspects of aging is to be cumulative, systematic, and incremental.     

"“Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model" by Jonathon R. B. Halbesleben (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2006[Sep], Vol 91[5], 1134-1145). There were errors in transcribing the ρ values from Table 2 to the results section. In the second paragraph of page 1138, the second and third sentences should read “In the present study, work-related support was more strongly related to exhaustion (ρ = -.26) than depersonalization (ρ = -.23) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .24; F(2, 111) = 24.13, p > .01). On the other hand, non-work support was more strongly related to depersonalization (ρ = -.16) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .19) than exhaustion (ρ = -.12; F(2, 38) = 3.83, p > .05).” The values in Table 2 are correct and the substantive conclusions have not changed. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-11397-012.) The Conservation of Resources (COR) model of burnout (Hobfoll & Freedy, 1993) suggests that resources are differentially related to burnout dimensions. In this paper, I provide a meta-analysis of the social support and burnout literature, finding that social support, as a resource, did not yield different relationships across the 3 burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), challenging the COR model. However, when considering the source of the social support (work vs. nonwork) as a moderator, I found that work-related sources of social support, because of their more direct relationship to work demands, were more closely associated with exhaustion than depersonalization or personal accomplishment; the opposite pattern was found with nonwork sources of support. I discuss the implications of this finding in relation to the COR model and suggest future research directions to clarify the relationship between resources and burnout dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Review of The parent-child connection": Erratum.

Reports an error in "Review of The parent-child connection" by Charlotte Johnston (Canadian Psychology Psychologie Canadienne, 1989[Oct], Vol 30[4], 697-698). Arnold Rincover's affiliation with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education was incorrectly given as Associate Professor. He has been an Extramural Instructor at O.I.S.E. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-09101-001.) Reviews the book, The parent-child connection by Arnold Rincover (1988). The Parent-Child Connection is a well written book that offers valuable advice to help parents of young children evaluate and understand their children's behaviour. It also offers useful suggestions on managing child behaviour, although these parenting tips are most likely to be useful to those parents who least need them (i.e., those with numerous personal and social resources, whose children are presenting only minor behavioural difficulties). The two general themes of the book, child behaviour as communication and developmental norms as guidelines for deciding if behaviour is problematic, are well-suited to the purposes of a parent reference book. They offer an appropriate framework for discussing specific child behaviours and helping parents to determine if these behaviours are problematic in their children. This book is a welcome addition to the list of available parenting books, and may prove particularly useful for younger parents in need of accurate and understandable information about normal child development and behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Communitarian claims" as an ethical basis for allocating health care resources

This paper presents the case for re-examining the most commonly adopted basis of resource allocation in health care, i.e. need. The key problems identified with most needs approaches are (a) defining its precise meaning, (b) that the community is seldom consulted as to first what constitute needs for health care or second what relative weights are to be attached to health gains aimed at addressing different needs and (c) more generally, proceeding without knowing what the community wants the objectives of health care to be. It is suggested that John Broome's notion of "claims", especially what this paper calls "communitarian claims", may be helpful in providing a better basis for allocating health care resources. Such "communitarian claims" allow inter alia for the community to be involved in setting the social choice rules with respect to the governance of health care and for determining what it is that it (the community) wants from its health service. The links to rights are also identified and the advantages of communitarian claims over both a simple concept of need and rights are set out, without arguing that either needs (or rights) ought necessarily to be abandoned as bases for resource allocation in health care.     

Correction to Hobfoll et al. (2003).

Reports errors in the original article by S. E. Hobfoll et al (Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 2003[Mar], Vol 84[3], 632-643). On page 643, in the tables for Appendixes B and C, the variables labeled with "T3" should all read "T2." In Appendix C, the column headings "Nonlinear model" should read "Nonlinear model T1"; the column headings "Linear model" should read "Nonlinear model T2." These changes do not affect the findings, interpretations, or conclusions. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2003-01588-018): The authors examined a dynamic conceptualization of stress by investigating how economic stress, measured in terms of material loss, alters women's personal and social resources and how these changed resources impact anger and depressive mood. Resource change in women's mastery and social support over 9 months was significantly associated with changes in depressive mood and anger among 714 inner city women. Greater loss of mastery and social support was associated with increased depressive mood and anger. Loss of mastery and social support also mediated the impact of material loss on depressive mood and anger. Resource loss and worsening economic circumstances had more negative impact than resource gain... (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social resilience: The value of social fitness with an application to the military.

Resilience has been regarded narrowly as a quintessential individual property by most investigators. Social resilience, however, is inherently a multilevel construct, revealed by capacities of individuals, but also groups, to foster, engage in, and sustain positive social relationships and to endure and recover from stressors and social isolation. Emergent levels of organization, ranging from dyads, families, and groups to cities, civilizations, and international alliances have long been apparent in human existence, but identifying the features of individuals, relationships, and group structures and norms that promote social resilience—and determining effective interventions to build social resilience—represent some of the most important challenges facing the military as well as contemporary behavioral science. We identify nine personal resources that foster social resilience, and we describe an educational, computer-based program that builds on these resources in an effort to improve the social resilience among troops in the U.S. Army. Data from this program should provide valuable evidence regarding the challenge of building social resilience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural, sociofamilial, and psychological resources that inhibit psychological distress in African Americans exposed to stressful life events and race-related stress.

This study tested a sociocultural model of stress and coping in a sample of 215 African Americans. Psychological resources (optimism, ego resilience) were modeled as a "nested self" (S. E. Hobfoll, 2001), supported by social resources (family adaptability and cohesion) and cultural resources (racial pride, religiosity). Race-related stress was a significantly more powerful risk factor than stressful life events for psychological distress. Structural equation modeling results confirmed the hypotheses that psychological resources had a significant direct effect in minimizing psychological distress, and social resources had a significant stress-suppressing effect on race-related stress. Theoretical and practical implications for counseling psychologists are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Practices, Power, and Cultural Ideals.

This article and the following ones by Slife (2005; see record 2005-08232-002) and Westerman (2005; see record 2005-08232-001) represent a coordinated effort on the authors' part to begin to mine the resources of what has been termed the "practice turn in contemporary theory" (Shatzki, 1996, Shatzki, Cetina, & Savigny, 2001) for psychology. The liberal approach tends to focus on a fear of power and how it can corrupt our best ideals, while the postmodernist tends to focus on a fascination with power flowing through the social and institutional expressions of these very ideals. Given modern Western culture's deep antiauthoritarian tenor, these two responses can be seen as reflecting what might be termed an underlying "control or be controlled" dilemma. We suggest the practice turn and hermeneutics offer an avenue for effectively getting past this basic dilemma. They make it clear that in everyday life, we are both profoundly shaped and influenced by the world and other people and influence them, in turn, by the way we interpret them and adjust to them as we engage in the fields of practices in which we find ourselves. Personal and social influences at play in the everyday business of human living create a continuum rather than a dichotomy regarding issues of control and power, leading to a dissolution of our taxing "control or be controlled" dilemma. Such an ontology clearly entails rethinking some prominent cultural ideals, leading us perhaps to think as much or more in terms of character than achievement, of cooperation than competition, of patience than striving restlessly to get somewhere. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More on Campbell.

Comments on "Reforms as experiments" by D. T. Campbell (American Psychologist, 1969, Vol 24, 404-429, see record 1969-17253-001). Campbell's suggestions for an extension of experimental thinking into our legislatures could be the most important contribution that any psychologist has made to our society. Why not form an APA committee to confer with our colleagues in the social sciences to see whether institutions can be proposed to maximize the experimental approach to legislation? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to de Jonge and Dormann (2006).

Reports an error in "Stressors, Resources, and Strain at Work: A Longitudinal Test of the Triple-Match Principle" by Jan de Jonge and Christian Dormann (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2006[Nov], Vol 91[6], 1359-1374). The issue number at the upper left corner of the title page (p. 1359) is wrongly stated as 5 rather than 6. Furthermore, in Table 1 (p. 1362), the value in Column 12, Row 4 (Emo resources) should be -.07 rather than -0.7. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-20695-014.) Two longitudinal studies investigated the issue of match between job stressors and job resources in the prediction of job-related strain. On the basis of the triple-match principle (TMP), it was hypothesized that resources are most likely to moderate the relation between stressors and strains if resources, stressors, and strains all match. Resources are less likely to moderate the relation between stressors and strains if (a) only resources and stressors match, (b) only resources and strains match, or (c) only stressors and strains match. Resources are least likely to moderate the relation between stressors and strains if there is no match among stressors, resources, and strains. The TMP was tested among 280 and 267 health care workers in 2 longitudinal surveys. The likelihood of finding moderating effects was linearly related to the degree of match, with 33.3% of all tested interactions becoming significant when there was a triple match, 16.7% when there was a double match, and 0.0% when there was no match. Findings were most consistent if there was an emotional match or a physical match. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obituary: Rensis Likert (1903-1981).

The coherence of Rensis Likert's contributions to psychology is not widely known or appreciated. To some he is known as the entrepreneurial leader of a large research institution, to others as one preoccupied with the technology of social inquiry, to others as an exponent of the utility of psychology and an applied psychologist par excellence, and to others as a substantive contributor to social psychological theory and knowledge. All of these images are valid. Their unity derives from his conception of the problems most worth attention and how one could deal with them. He considered the most pressing contemporary problems to be those concerning the relationship of persons to their organized societal contexts. He greatly extended our methodological resources for studying populations in context, created institutions to foster such work, and developed ideas that help not only to understand person-context relationships but also to aid the design of social contexts that optimize the development and humane use of human resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human diversity, pedagogy, and educational equity.

The nation defines "equal educational opportunity" as insuring for all the same access to educational resources provided through public funds. It is contended that this definition does not adequately reflect the implicit commitment to equity appropriate to a democratic, pluralistic, and humane society. In the interest of distributive equality, group indicators such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language, sex, and geographic variables have been relied on in distributing educational resources. However, these may be irrelevant as functional indicators of need for purposes of planning learning experiences. Concern with the pedagogical relevance of human diversity focuses on differences in human characteristics that may guide educational and developmental intervention. Concern for social justice goes beyond distributive equality to concern for distributive sufficiency. Giving attention to concepts of human diversity and social justice might be more appropriate in honoring the commitment to equality of educational opportunity. It is possible for current knowledge to inform policy and practice through its wise and compassionate transformation if the teaching and learning transaction is viewed as a continuous process of inquiry. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do poverty programs alleviate poverty? The case of the Mexican National Solidarity Program

In recent years, compensatory poverty programs have been adopted in several countries in response to the social and political effects of structural adjustment programs implemented by most Latin American and African countries. The authors analyze the Mexican National Solidarity Program "Pronasol," often cited as an exemplary social compensation program, by inquiring into its impact on poverty. The authors first investigate the relationship between structural adjustment and the process of impoverishment, in order to establish the dynamics and magnitude of poverty in Mexico. They find that the structural adjustment program has considerably increased poverty, mainly through a sustained wage decrease and job losses. The authors next discuss whether Pronasol complies with the requisites of a program that warrants a social minimum for the poor, and whether the resource allocation complies with objective criteria of the sociogeographic distribution of poverty. The data suggest that Pronasol cannot be considered to guarantee a social minimum for the poor, given the magnitude of poverty, the scarce resources allocated, the orientation of the subprograms, and the regional distribution of funds. Nor does it qualify as a social compensation program of any importance. Finally, an alternative interpretation of Pronasol is offered in the field of legitimation and political control.     

Evolution and "evolutionary behavorism": Comment.

Comments on W. R. Woodward's (see record 1982-30310-001) article on the discovery of social behaviorism and social learning theory from 1870 through 1980. The article suggests that within several concepts that are related to social behaviorism and social learning theory, the same "discovery" has been made to account for an important part of behavioral variance. This involves a functional feedback model with internal variables and some kind of selection via symbolic processes that are termed "evolutionary." The present author raises concern for Woodward's use of the biological evolutionary theory in this context. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-perceived health in East and West Europe: another European health divide

There is a great, and possibly also a growing, difference in public health between the central, eastern (CEE) and western European countries. Several suggestions have been put forward as explanations for this health divide. A broader framework than one focusing on medical care systems or behavioural patterns is necessary to examine this difference. It will be more fruitful to try to identify social and economic factors at large, as well as specific explanatory factors. The aim of this study is to find out to what extent "The East-West Mortality Divide" was apparent in people's perception of their own health in 1990-1991, as a division in self-perceived health across Europe. If there were indeed differences, the aim is to examine whether or not they can be explained by specific economic and social conditions present in the early 1990s. Data from "World Values Survey 1990" reveal a striking east west divide in self-perceived health among people in the age group 35-64 yr, one of greater size than the gender gap in self-perceived health. The importance of a number of circumstances for people's self-perceived health in the 25 European countries was estimated. The assumption was that any resulting difference between eastern and western European countries could help to explain the health divide. An attempt was made to estimate how much the east-west health divide would be reduced if some of these circumstances were similar in CEE to those in the west. The results indicate that people's participation in civic activities has a positive effect on their health. This effect is recognised especially on a societal level. This supports theories about civic activities and community performance. In western Europe the tradition of the active citizen is more developed than in eastern Europe. People's life control was important for their self-perceived health in almost every European country, both in the west and the east. In the former communist countries, however, people did not feel that they had the same control over their lives as did people in the west. People's economic satisfaction was the most powerful predictor of self-perceived health, both in the eastern and western parts of Europe. The average level of economic satisfaction in 1990 1991 was considerably lower in CEE. If people's influence and economic resources were the same in the former communist countries as in the west, the health divide, according to my estimations, would decrease by something between 10-30%.     

Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Issues

Municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling targets have been set nationally and in many states. Unfortunately, the definitions of recycling, rates of recycling, and the appropriate components of MSW vary. MSW recycling has been found to be costly for most municipalities compared to landfill disposal. MSW recycling policy should be determined by the cost to the community and to society more generally. In particular, recycling is a good policy only if environmental impacts and the resources used to collect, sort, and recycle a material are less than the environmental impacts and resources needed to provide equivalent virgin material plus the resources needed to dispose of the postconsumer material safely. From a review of the existing economic experience with recycling and an analysis of the environmental benefits (including estimation of external social costs), we find that, for most communities, curbside recycling is only justifiable for some postconsumer waste, such as aluminum and other metals. We argue that alternatives to curbside recycling collection should be explored, including product takeback for products with a toxic content (such as batteries) or product redesign to permit more effective product remanufacture.     

Just how many different forms of culture are there?

Responds to comments by H. Takooshian (see record 2009-24989-012) and J. K. Tebes (see record 2009-24989-013) on the current author's original article, "Many forms of culture" (see record 2009-04471-003). The current author argued that psychologists tend to focus on too narrow a set of cultures (ethnic and national cultures) and some dimensions of those cultures (individualism–collectivism, independence–interdependence). He then argued that there are a number of ways in which it would be important for psychologists to expand how we theorize about culture, do research on culture, and integrate culture into clinical practice and applied settings. He discussed religion, social class, and within-country region as three examples of under-explored types of culture (Cohen, 2009). Takooshian (2010) and Tebes (2010) pointed to a potentially expanded set of cultures beyond the three examples the current author focused most on (religion, socioeconomic status/social class, region) to include age, sex, sexual orientation, physical and mental challenges, and others. The current author agrees that these are good candidates to be considered cultures as well. Even within the same household (with people sharing ethnicity, nationality, religion, social class, and region of origin), adolescent teenagers hold certain cultural outlooks different from those of their middle-aged parents. This raises the questions of just how limitless the set of cultures is and whether every group is a culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classism is much more complex: Comment.

Comments on "Psychotherapy, classism, and the poor: Conspicuous by their absence" by Laura Smith (see record 2005-11834-002). Smith is to be commended for identifying a critical missing area in applied psychology: the inclusion of people who are poor into training, education, research, and practice. But in advocating for psychology to be inclusive, Smith used conceptualizations of social class and classism that do not address the complexity of social class and classism in psychology. First, the language Smith used to discuss social class was atheoretical. She used the terms social class, class, social status, the poor, and poverty to address social class as a construct, and she did not operationalize her terms. The second limitation in Smith's article was her aggregating and labeling of people who are poor. By categorizing people in this situation as "poor people" rather than as "people who are poor," Smith made "poor people" a dispositional attribute. Finally, Smith's conceptualization of classism does not consider the networks of power (Liu & Pope-Davis, 2003b) that are integral in maintaining and perpetuating inequality and marginalization. Because power is complex, conceptualizations of oppression and marginalization should be as well. Psychologists hoping to decrease inequality in society need to combat disparities with a clear idea of how social class and classism function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)