A little thanks goes a long way: Explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior.

Although research has established that receiving expressions of gratitude increases prosocial behavior, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that mediate this effect. We propose that gratitude expressions can enhance prosocial behavior through both agentic and communal mechanisms, such that when helpers are thanked for their efforts, they experience stronger feelings of self-efficacy and social worth, which motivate them to engage in prosocial behavior. In Experiments 1 and 2, receiving a brief written expression of gratitude motivated helpers to assist both the beneficiary who expressed gratitude and a different beneficiary. These effects of gratitude expressions were mediated by perceptions of social worth and not by self-efficacy or affect. In Experiment 3, we constructively replicated these effects in a field experiment: A manager's gratitude expression increased the number of calls made by university fundraisers, which was mediated by social worth but not self-efficacy. In Experiment 4, a different measure of social worth mediated the effects of an interpersonal gratitude expression. Our results support the communal perspective rather than the agentic perspective: Gratitude expressions increase prosocial behavior by enabling individuals to feel socially valued. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making a little affinity go a long way: a topological view of LFA-1 regulation

Lymphocytes utilize adhesion to navigate in the body and to transiently interact with a variety of potential antigen presenting cells. Interactions of adhesion molecules are governed by the law of mass action and the less understood rules of apposed biological membranes. Biochemical parameters such as adhesion molecule affinity only tell part of the story. Factors such as lateral mobility, membrane alignment and cytoskeletal interactions are equally important in determining the final outcome. Therefore it is important to determine mechanisms by which the properties of cell membranes and the cytoskeleton reinforce or hinder adhesion molecule interactions. Work from my lab has shown that one mechanism by which lymphocyte adhesion molecules cooperate is to align adhering membranes with nanometer precision. Here, I discuss a model for LFA-1 regulation that is dependent on three independent processes: LFA-1 lateral mobility, ligand induced generation of a small amount of high affinity LFA-1 and local membrane alignment. I propose that coordination of these processes allows rapid interconversion between stable adhesion and detachment.     

Changing the way children "think" about aggression: Social-cognitive effects of a preventive intervention.

The study reports social-cognitive outcomes of interventions in a cluster-randomized school-based aggression prevention trial in low and moderate resource urban communities. Targeted social cognitions were aggressive responses, aggressive/prosocial fantasy, and normative beliefs supporting aggression. Participants were 1,484 early elementary school-age children selected for aggression above school medians. Schools received no treatment, curriculum plus teacher consultation (Level A), or Level A plus small-group training (Level B) over 2 years. The Level A condition changed the social cognitions supporting aggression in the desired direction but only in the moderate resource communities. The small-group component did not appear to add to the effect of the Level A condition. Findings suggest that early prevention can modify children's social cognitions in moderate resource communities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factorial experiment in teachers' written feedback on student homework: Changing teacher behavior a little rather than a lot.

In a field study that replicated previous research by the authors (1981), 18 Venezuelan elementary school teachers were trained to provide constructive written feedback on the mathematics homework of their 6th-grade students (N?=?504) 3 times weekly for 10 wks. In addition to learning and attitude outcomes, aptitude?×?treatment interactions (ATIs) were examined among treatments and student ability, attitude, and sex. Results show significant main effects favoring students whose teachers provided feedback on mathematics achievement and attitude toward mathematics. No ATIs were found, indicating that the training had positive effects on student learning regardless of ability levels. The treatment was associated with reduced sex differences favoring males over the course of the study. Implications for implementing similar classroom intervention programs are discussed. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changing the way APA does its work: A prospective and prescriptive report to the American Psychological Association: The 1999 five-year report of the policy and planning board and the blue ribbon panel.

Presents a 5-yr retrospective report by the Policy and Planning Board of the American Psychological Association (APA). Trends in membership, finances, and ethical and legal issues are discussed. The purpose and function of the Blue Ribbon Panel are outlined, Specific accomplishments and developments of the 4 directorates (Science, Education, Public Interest, and Practice) are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A variance explanation paradox: When a little is a lot.

Discusses the paradoxical discrepancy involved in the statistical calculation of the percentage of variation in batting performance that is attributable to skill differentials among major-league baseball players, which is discrepant with intuitions about the influence of skill in batting performance. This discrepancy is discussed in terms of habits of thought about variance explanation. It is argued that percentage variance explanation is a misleading index of the influence of systematic factors in cases where there are processes by which influences cumulate to produce meaningful outcomes. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychologists' personalities: Award winners contrasted with a random sample.

A random sample of 50 California school psychologists and 64 award-winning school psychologists completed the California Personality Inventory. Award winners were little different from the random sample except on folk scores related to leadership. School psychologists' scores indicated above average adjustment and mental health. A large number of both award-winning and randomly sampled school psychologists were norm-favoring and extraverted. Results were discussed in relation to current issues in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural competence: A new way of thinking about integration in therapy.

This article, based on a keynote speech delivered to the 2009 conference of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration, offers a model for understanding cultural competence as a strategy for psychotherapy integration. Paradigms for what constitutes cultural competence in psychotherapy are explored, and the development of an epistemology of cultural competence that includes understandings of therapist bias and both therapist and client intersectionalities of identity are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eyeheight-scaled information about affordances: A study of sitting and stair climbing.

Previous work has shown that both the perceived and actual critical (maximum) heights of surfaces that afford "sitting on" and "climbing on" can be expressed as constant proportions of each actor's leg length. The current study provides evidence that these judgments of critical action boundaries are based on an existing source of size and distance information that is already scaled with reference to the actor's eyeheight. In Experiment 1 changes in judgments of "perceived eyeheight" (an index of the intrinsic scalar) as a function of viewing distance were shown to be highly correlated with changes in the maximum height that was perceived to afford sitting on or climbing on. In Experiments 2 and 3 observers wore 10-cm blocks and made judgments about whether the heights of various surfaces afforded sitting or climbing. The use of eyeheight-scaled information as the basis for their estimates predicted the obtained pattern of errors in these judgments. With a modicum of experience wearing the blocks, however, observers were able to retune accurately their critical action boundary to a degree that would not have been predicted from their consistent overestimation of the height of the block on which they were standing. These results have implications for understanding how observers obtain information about their specific action boundary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapists as patients: A national survey of psychologists' experiences, problems, and beliefs.

A survey of 800 psychologists (return rate?=?59.5%) found that of 84% who had been in therapy, only 2 described therapy as unhelpful, 22% found it harmful, 61% reported clinical depression, 29% reported suicidal feelings, 4% reported attempting suicide, 26% reported being cradled by a therapist, 20% reported withholding important (mostly sexual) information, and 10% reported violations of confidentiality. Women were more likely than men to report sexual material in therapy; psychodynamically oriented respondents were more likely to report sexual material. Of those who had terminated, 63% reported recent consideration of resuming therapy. Most believed that therapy should be a requirement of graduate programs and licensure, but only about a third believed therapy mandated by licensing boards for resuming practice after violations of professional standards to be clearly or even likely effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changing sexual orientation: A consumers' report.

What motivates individuals to pursue conversion therapy and ex-gay groups? How do they perceive its harmfulness and helpfulness? In this study, 202 consumers of sexual orientation conversion interventions were interviewed to answer these questions. The results indicated that a majority failed to change sexual orientation, and many reported that they associated harm with conversion interventions. A minority reported feeling helped, although not necessarily with their original goal of changing sexual orientation. A developmental model that describes the various pathways of individuals who attempt to change their sexual orientation is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applied information quality: a framework for thinking about the quality of specific information

Information quality, considered abstractly, may seem to be a relatively straightforward matter. Information should be accurate, up to date, useful, and attributable to reputable sources. However, determining the quality of a specific piece of information for a specific use is a more complicated process. The concept of applied information quality is defined in this paper as a judgment of information quality (1) made by a specific person or persons, (2) in a specific situational context for use of that information, and (3) based on the characteristics of the information. Each of the three elements of the judgment influences its outcome. Information judgments are made by individuals in the context of their discipline and community of practice. The situational context includes the specifics of the context for use of the information, the questions that the information must address, the strategy for locating potentially relevant information, and the body of information that is retrieved and is available for judgment and use. The paper focuses on the third element of a judgment of information quality--the characteristics of the information on which the judgment is based. These characteristics are grouped for discussion under six metaquestions: What is the information item of interest? How was the focal information created and when? Who is involved with the focal information? From what perspective was the information created and why? What relationships does the focal information have to other information--its antecedents, sources, and other related information? What approval, review, or other filtering processes, if any, has the information gone through? Approaches to improving quality judgments can focus on improving the information itself, improving the channels that organize and deliver information, or improving the individual's ability to judge the quality of information for a specific purpose. These are not mutually exclusive and, probably, all should be pursued. Applied judgments of information quality are ultimately the responsibility of the individuals using information; they need to be supported in this professional activity as they are in the other responsibilities of their professional practice.