With a little help from my cross-group friend: Reducing anxiety in intergroup contexts through cross-group friendship.

The authors induced cross-group friendship between Latinos/as and Whites to test the effects of cross-group friendship on anxiety in intergroup contexts. Cross-group friendship led to decreases in cortisol reactivity (a hormonal correlate of stress; W. R. Lovallo & T. L. Thomas, 2000) over 3 friendship meetings among participants high in race-based rejection sensitivity (R. Mendoza-Denton, G. Downey, V. J. Purdie, A. Davis, & J. Pietrzak, 2002) and participants high in implicit prejudice (A. G. Greenwald, B. A. Nosek, & M. R. Banaji, 2003). Cross-group partners' prior intergroup contact moderated the relationship between race-based rejection sensitivity and cortisol reactivity. Following the manipulation, participants kept daily diaries of their experiences in an ethnically diverse setting. Implicitly prejudiced participants initiated more intergroup interactions during the diary period after making a cross-group friend. Participants who had made a cross-group friend reported lower anxious mood during the diary period, which compensated for greater anxious mood among participants high in race-based rejection sensitivity. These findings provide experimental evidence that cross-group friendship is beneficial for people who are likely to experience anxiety in intergroup contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of a power-imbalanced situation on the cognitive processing of low-power group members.

The present study examines cognitive processes of low-power group members in an intergroup power situation. An unbalanced power relationship was established between two groups and stability and size of a power discrepancy were manipulated. Seventy-two participants learned information about, and competed in a game against, a high-power outgroup. Significant main effects were obtained in an analysis of covariance of the amount of cognitive processing for stability of a power distribution. Low-power group members in unstable conditions recalled more attributes than participants in stable conditions. Implications for the importance of a low-power group member's perceptions of whether or not an opportunity exists to change the power situation are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reducing explicit and implicit outgroup prejudice via direct and extended contact: The mediating role of self-disclosure and intergroup anxiety.

In 4 studies, the authors investigated mediators of the effect of cross-group friendship. In Study 1, cross-group friendship among White elementary school children predicted more positive explicit outgroup attitude toward South Asians, mediated by self-disclosure and intergroup anxiety. In Study 2, cross-group friendship and extended contact among White and South Asian high school students positively predicted explicit outgroup attitude, mediated by self-disclosure and intergroup anxiety. Study 3 replicated these findings in a larger independent sample. In all 3 studies, exposure to the outgroup positively predicted implicit outgroup attitude. Study 4 further showed that self-disclosure improved explicit outgroup attitude via empathy, importance of contact, and intergroup trust. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, which argue for the inclusion of self-disclosure as a key component of social interventions to reduce prejudice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who drives divergence? Identity signaling, outgroup dissimilarity, and the abandonment of cultural tastes.

People often diverge from members of other social groups: They select cultural tastes (e.g., possessions, attitudes, or behaviors) that distinguish them from outsiders and abandon tastes when outsiders adopt them. But while divergence is pervasive, most research on the propagation of culture is based on conformity. Consequently, it is less useful in explaining why people might abandon tastes when others adopt them. The 7 studies described in this article showed that people diverge to avoid signaling undesired identities. A field study, for example, found that undergraduates stopped wearing a particular wristband when members of the "geeky" academically focused dormitory next door started wearing them. Consistent with an identity-signaling perspective, the studies further showed that people often diverge from dissimilar outgroups to avoid the costs of misidentification. Implications for social influence, identity signaling, and the popularity and diffusion of culture are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The loyal member effect: On the preference for ingroup members who engage in exclusive relations with the ingroup.

The goal of this article was to investigate an indirect form of intergroup differentiation in children in the context of racial attitudes: the preference for ingroup members who interact positively with other ingroup members rather than with outgroup members. Study 1 confirmed this general hypothesis with preschool and 1st-grade children, demonstrating that respondents preferred the ingroup member who played only with other ingroup members, evaluated this child more positively, and felt more similar to him or her. Studies 2 and 3 tested the boundary conditions of the phenomenon. Study 4 analyzed developmental changes demonstrating that the effect is no longer observed among 9- to 11-year-old children. Overall, these studies suggest that engaging in positive interactions with the outgroup might have its costs in terms of a relative devaluation and rejection by one's peers. Results are discussed by stressing the importance of intragroup processes for the regulation of intergroup relations among very young children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acknowledging the inevitable: Understanding multiple relationships in rural practice.

There are many factors that contribute to increased rates of multiple relationships in rural practice. Although limited availability of mental health practitioners and access difficulties are the most commonly cited factors, characteristics of rural communities and characteristics of psychologists who practice there may also promote the likelihood of these relationships. These characteristics may consequently promote acceptance of multiple relationships. This article addresses some of the unique aspects of rural practice and provides strategies for evaluating, preventing, and managing multiple relationships in rural practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive constraints on the structure and dynamics of social networks.

Everyday social activities take place within an environment peopled by a specific set of individuals (our social network). The author reviews the evidence that our social world is both limited in size and highly structured. This structuring consists of a series of circles of acquaintanceship, the successive layers of which progressively include more individuals with whom we have less intense relationships. Although these layers have very consistent typical sizes, there is considerable individual variation because of individual differences in gender, personality, and social-cognitive abilities. The author considers some of the implications of these structural components for the way in which we organize our social lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Misunderstanding the affective consequences of everyday social interactions: The hidden benefits of putting one's best face forward.

Positive self-presentation may have beneficial consequences for mood that are typically overlooked. Across a series of studies, participants underestimated how good they would feel in situations that required them to put their best face forward. In Studies 1 and 2A, participants underestimated the emotional benefits of interacting with an opposite sex stranger versus the benefits of interacting with a romantic partner. In Study 2B, participants who were instructed to engage in self-presentation felt happier after interacting with their romantic partner than participants who were not given this instruction, although other participants serving as forecasters did not anticipate such benefits. Increasing the generalizability of this self-presentation effect across contexts, the authors demonstrated that participants also underestimated how good they would feel before and after being evaluated by another person (Studies 3 and 4). This failure to recognize the affective benefits of putting one's best face forward may underlie forecasting errors regarding the emotional consequences of the most common forms of social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

If-then contingencies and the differential effects of the availability of an attractive alternative on relationship maintenance for men and women.

In 7 experiments, the causal effects of the availability of an attractive alternative (AA) relationship partner on current relationship thoughts and intentions were tested using confederates, mental simulations, and virtual reality. Men behaved consistent with traditional relationship-commitment theories, showing decreased willingness to tolerate their partner's transgressions after the availability of an AA was made salient. However, consistent with a motivated cognition approach to commitment and work on relational self-construals, women increased their tolerance when presented with the relationship threat of an alternative. Word-fragment and lexical decision data suggested that AAs may activate threat for women, and their ability to dampen threat accessibility is associated with prorelationship responses. Finally, this "if relationship is threatened, then defend the relationship" contingency was induced in men with an implementation intention induction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Models of addiction: Introduction to the Special Issue.

This Special Issue contains articles that highlight empirical approaches to addiction that have clear theoretical relevance as well as articles that present significant theoretical perspectives on addiction. This collection reflects the implicit assumption that types of addiction are more similar than dissimilar. The characteristics of drug exposure that promote physical dependence, the occurrence of tolerance, the associative elicitation of tolerance, the time course of relapse to drug use, the phenomenology of drug urges or cravings, the precipitants of relapse, the obsessive concern with securing and using drugs are all commonalities among addictive disorders that underscore the fact that addiction is expressed through universal motivational mechanisms and processes. Diverse addictive disorders are phenotypically similar because their motivational bases are similar; if not in particular, then in principle. The selections in this Special Issue reflect a set of assumptions that can be seen as promising areas for future research and theorizing. The first area concerns the application of traditional motivational models and concepts to addictive disorders. The second area for future research and theorizing deals with cognitive or information processing models of addiction. The third area covered in this Special Issue concerns interpersonal/social context. The final area covered in this issue deals with genetics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mothers' and fathers' interactions with preschoolers in the home in northern Thailand: Relationships to teachers' assessments of children's social skills.

Using ecocultural theory as a guide, the authors observed some everyday activities of mothers and fathers with children for 2 hrs in the home in 53 families residing in Chaing Mai Province in northern Thailand. Teachers provided assessments of children's general social skills in preschool using the Preschool Kindergarten Behavior Scale (K. W. Merrell, 1994). Mothers were significantly more likely to engage in basic care, general conversations, and educational activities; to praise; and to use commands and reasoning as forms of discipline with children than fathers. Mothers and fathers did not significantly differ in the display of affection, teasing or joking, and modes of play interactions with children. Parents generally treated boys and girls similarly. Few associations between parent-child involvement and children's social skills in preschool were significant. Data are discussed with respect to changes in culturally driven parent-child practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Ten years of research on the false-consensus effect: An empirical and theoretical review": Correction to Marks and Miller.

Reports an error in "Ten years of research on the false-consensus effect: An empirical and theoretical review" by Gary Marks and Norman Miller (Psychological Bulletin, 1987[Jul], Vol 102[1], 72-90). The block quotation on page 73 should be attributed to Crocker (1981). The two sentences immediately preceding this quotation should read: "Friendship groups typically exhibit a high degree of internal similarity with respect to members' beliefs, attitudes, values, and interests. Crocker (1981) reported the following:". (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1987-31255-001.) Ten years of research on the false-consensus effect (Ross, Greene, & House, 1977) and related biases in social perception (e.g., assumed similarity and overestimation of consensus) are examined in the light of four general theoretical perspectives: (a) selective exposure and cognitive availability, (b) salience and focus of attention, (c) logical information processing, and (d) motivational processes. The findings indicate that these biases are influenced by a host of variables and that no single explanation can account for the range of data. Instead, each theoretical perspective appears to have its own domain of application, albeit with some degree of overlap into other domains. The data further suggest that two or more specific mechanisms may operate simultaneously or in concert to produce assumed similarity and false-consensus effects. Discussion focuses on identifying the process or sets of processes operating in specific situations. We identify several gaps in the knowledge of mediating relationships and suggest directions for future research. We also discuss issues related to definition and measurement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Good citizens to the end? It depends: Empathy and concern with future consequences moderate the impact of a short-term time horizon on organizational citizenship behaviors.

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) can be viewed as a social dilemma in which short-term employee sacrifice leads to long-term organizational benefits. With 3 studies, the authors evaluated a set of interrelated hypotheses based on a social dilemma analysis of OCBs. In Study 1, participants rated OCBs as costly to an employee in the short run and beneficial to an organization in the long run, indicating that OCBs were viewed as social dilemmas. In Studies 2 and 3, self-reported (Study 2) and supervisor-rated (Study 3) likelihood of engaging in OCBs was higher among those who adopted a long-term horizon within an organization and those high in empathy (M. H. Davis, 1983). Most important, a short-term time horizon led to a steeper decline in OCBs among employees low in empathy and those concerned with the future consequences of their actions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)