Beyond social cognitions.

Reviews the book, Social motivation: Understanding children's school adjustment edited by J. Juvonen and K. R. Wentzel (see record 1997-97006-000). In general, research has paid little attention to the possibility that children's social motivation is intertwined with their academic motivation. Affiliation and achievement have been regarded as two distinct motivations. This book is an attempt to redress this imbalance and misconception. The book argues that children's social and academic development are intertwined. Contributors to the book discuss specific ways in which children are motivated to achieve socially and academically at school. The book's social motivation perspective has successfully extended the reader's attention from intrapsychological processes to interpersonal relationships and social concerns as motivators of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between maladaptive cognitions and social anxiety.

Used the cognitive theories of A. Beck (see PA, Vol 56:8303) and A. Ellis (see PA, Vol 37:1437) to identify cognitive phenomena thought to be related to social anxiety. Their constructs, risk appraisal and irrational beliefs, were operationalized for the present study. Both discriminated between a clinical sample of 46 anxious men and a group of 18 competent daters (18–26 yrs). Together they accounted for 35% of the variance in social anxiety for a mixed sample of high, moderate, and low confident men. Ss were administered the Irrational Beliefs Test, Survey of Heterosexual Interactions, and Situational Expectancies Inventory. Results are discussed in terms of their clinical significance and implications for cognitive assessment of social anxiety. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social cognitions as organizers of autonomic and affective responses to social challenge.

Autonomic and affective responses to children were assessed as a function of adult perceptions of interpersonal control. Women (N?=?160) interacted with and provided feedback to computer-simulated children who behaved responsively or unresponsively on a computer game. Women were categorized as low in perceived control (PC) if they attributed high control to children but low control to self over negative events on the Parent Attribution Test. As predicted, low-PC women were maximally reactive to child characteristics, manifesting peak levels of defensive arousal (increased level of heart rate and electrodermal activity) and negative affect with unresponsive children and minimal levels of arousal and negative affect with responsive children. Intermediate response levels were shown by high-PC Ss. We interpreted results as suggesting mediating factors that may operate in dysfunctional interaction patterns previously found for low-PC caregivers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ease of retrieval effects in social judgment: The role of unrequested cognitions.

The present research explores a new mechanism for ease of retrieval effects in social judgment. It is suggested that in the most common ease of retrieval paradigm, when it is difficult for people to generate or retrieve the specific type of cognition requested (e.g., positive thoughts about an issue or memories of assertive behavior), they are more likely to spontaneously generate or retrieve unrequested cognitions (e.g., negative thoughts about the issue or memories of unassertive behavior), and the presence of these unrequested cognitions can affect social judgment. In 4 experiments, participants were asked to generate a high (difficult) or low (easy) number of cognitions in a given direction. Across experiments, when participants were asked to generate a high number of cognitions, they also had more unrequested cognitions, and these unrequested cognitions played a mediating role in the ease of retrieval effect on judgment. In the 3rd and 4th experiments, this mechanism was found to be independent of previously identified mediators. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using the implicit association test to measure age differences in implicit social cognitions.

Two studies investigated the use of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A. G. Greenwald, D. E. McGhee, & J. L. K. Schwartz, 1998) to study age differences in implicit social cognitions. Study 1 collected [AT (implicit) and explicit (self-report) measures of age attitudes, age identity, and self-esteem from young, young-old, and old-old participants. Study 2 collected IAT and explicit measures of attitudes toward flowers versus insects from young and old participants. Results show that the IAT provided theoretically meaningful insights into age differences in social cognitions that the explicit measures did not, supporting the value of the IAT in aging research. Results also illustrate that age-related slowing must be considered in analysis and interpretation of IAT measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does social dominance generate prejudice? Integrating individual and contextual determinants of intergroup cognitions.

Social dominance orientation (SDO) has been proposed as an important variable in the explanation of prejudice. We distinguish between three conceptualizations of SDO: SDO as a personality trait (personality model), SDO as a moderator of the effects of situational variables (Person X Situation model), and SDO as a mediator of the effect of social position on prejudice (group socialization model [GSM]). Four studies (N = 1,657) looking at the relations between social positions, SDO, and prejudice in a natural setting and in a laboratory setting provide strong support for the GSM. In contrast to previous correlational findings, there is evidence of a cause (dominant social position), an effect (prejudice increases), and a mediator (SDO). These results suggest new perspectives on the integration of individual and contextual determinants of prejudice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antecedents of influence outcomes.

Influence incidents described either by agents or targets were coded for the presence of 9 influence tactics, and the outcome was coded in terms of commitment, compliance, or resistance. Agent power and content factors for an incident were measured with a short questionnaire. This study is the first to show that influence tactics, agent power, and content factors independently affect influence outcomes. Target commitment was more likely when the request was important and enjoyable to implement, and the agent had strong referent power, used consultation, inspirational appeals, or a strong form of rational persuasion, and did not use pressure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental cognitions of first practicum supervisees.

Investigated the influence of ego development (Loevinger, 1976) on in-session cognitions of supervisees at the same experience level. 27 first-practicum students completed the Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development (SCT; Loevinger & Wessler, 1970) and scored at 3 ego levels: self-aware, conscientious, and individualistic. They videotaped actual counseling sessions and then followed a standardized recall ("thinking aloud") procedure (Dole et al., 1982). Their retrospections were postcoded for content; Kruskal-Wallis tests were calculated to investigate differences by ego level. Results indicate no significant effects of ego level on the time, place, focus, locus, or orientation of the retrospections. Supervisees at higher ego levels, however, did report significantly fewer negative thoughts (mode) about their clients and themselves and tended to report more objective, neutral in-session processing. In accordance with developmental models of supervision, both experience level and ego level appeared to define stage of counselor development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interparental conflict, children's social cognitions, and child aggression: A test of a mediational model.

Although correlations between interparental conflict and child maladjustment are well-established, the processes connecting these 2 phenomena are less understood. The present study tested whether an aggressogenic cognitive style mediates the relationship between interparental conflict and child aggression. A multiethnic sample of 115 families with a child between the ages of 7 and 13 years participated. Questionnaires were used to assess parents' and children's perceptions of interparental conflict, children's social problem-solving strategies and beliefs about aggression, and parent and teacher reports of child aggression. Support was found for the mediating effect of aggressogenic cognitions on children's school aggression but not on children's aggression at home. Implications for understanding the associations among interparental conflict, children's social cognitions, and child aggression in different environmental contexts are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mood-congruent cognitions constitute mood experience.

Three studies tested the assumption of a dispositional theory of moods that mood-related cognitions constitute essential parts of the phenomenal mood experience. In Study 1, after a hot- versus a cold-, sad-, or angry-mood induction, participants reported their momentary moods and their momentary mood-related cognitions. Self-reported moods and mood-related cognitions changed in a strictly parallel fashion in all mood induction groups. A mediation analysis showed that the influences of distraction on moods were completely mediated by changes in mood-related cognitions. Study 2 replicated the central findings of Study 1 with a musical mood induction procedure. Study 3 showed that the findings do not depend on the explicit manipulation of moods. The results support the tested assumption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitude intensity and dissonant cognitions.

Balance and dissonance theory postulate that tension may be reduced by decreasing the importance of dissonant cognitions. 232 students at a southern university and 261 students at a northern university responded to 3 forms of an attitude scale toward integration. Attitude intensity was used as a measure of importance and was correlated with dissonance as measured by perceived discrepancy between Ss' attitude and those of their parents and close friends. The results suggest that: (a) individuals may markedly disagree with primary reference groups when these groups are perceived to be against the broader norms of his culture, and (b) dissonance may result in an increase as well as a decrease in attitude intensity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of mood on health-relevant cognitions.

Three experiments assessed the effects of mood on symptom appraisal, health behavior self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and perceptions of vulnerability. Ss in Experiments 1 and 2 were acutely ill, whereas Ss in Experiment 3 were healthy. In each experiment, happy, sad, and neutral moods were induced. In Experiment 1, Ss who experienced sadness reported more aches and pains and greater discomfort than happy Ss. Sad Ss were less confident that they could carry out illness-alleviating behaviors. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated that mood's influence of vulnerability perceptions is moderated by health status. Although mood had little impact on perceptions of vulnerability among ill Ss, probability estimates of future negative health-relevant events among healthy Ss were mood sensitive. Seeing oneself as invulnerable to future negative events was accentuated among happy Ss and attenuated among sad Ss. Mood may be an important determinant of care seeking, adherence, and recovery from illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Social cognitions as organizers of autonomic and affective responses to social challenge": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by D. B. Bugental et al (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1993, Vol 64[1], 94–203). On page 97, the sentence "SCL was measured by bipolar silver-silver chloride electrodes placed on the thumb of the nonpreferred hand' should read as follows: "SCL was measured by bipolar silver-silver chloride electrodes placed on the thenar and hypothenar eminences of the nonpreferred hand.' (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1993-21385-001.) Autonomic and affective responses to children were assessed as a function of adult perceptions of interpersonal control. Women (N?=?160) interacted with and provided feedback to computer-simulated children who behaved responsively or unresponsively on a computer game. Women were categorized as low in perceived control (PC) if they attributed high control to children but low control to self over negative events on the Parent Attribution Test. As predicted, low-PC women were maximally reactive to child characteristics, manifesting peak levels of defensive arousal (increased level of heart rate and electrodermal activity) and negative affect with unresponsive children and minimal levels of arousal and negative affect with responsive children … (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antecedents of team reward attitude.

The authors tested a model of the antecedents of team reward attitude (TRA), where high TRA reflects a positive attitude toward receiving team-based rewards. Participants were members of 18 intact teams working on complex and inherently interdependent tasks in a high-technology manufacturing organization. The authors found that the most proximal antecedents of TRA were an individual's belief in the value of teamwork (positive) and his or her job performance (negative). Belief in the value of teamwork mediated the relationship between distal antecedents (collectivism, task interdependence, and self-efficacy for teamwork) and TRA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infant sleep and parental sleep-related cognitions.

Infant sleep is a major source of distress in many families. The purpose of this study was to assess infant sleep and parental sleep-related cognitions about infant sleep in clinical and control samples. The clinical sample consisted of 48 infants referred to a sleep clinic because of night-wakings problems. The control sample included 48 infants with no parental complaints about sleep difficulties. Sleep of all participating infants was monitored for 1 week with actigraphs and parental daily logs. Parents completed 2 questionnaires testing their cognitions about infant sleep. As expected, significant group differences were found with regard to the sleep-quality measures and parental cognitions. Parental cognitions about difficulties in limit setting were associated with poorer sleep quality. Significant differences were found between fathers and mothers on the cognitions scales. The results highlight the links between parental cognitions and infant sleep and the unique perspective of each parent in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Automatic cognitions and teen dating violence.

Objective: The present research examined whether the level of aggression in automatic cognitions was positively associated with teen dating violence after accounting for more consciously controlled, self-reported attitudes about dating violence. Method: At baseline, 95 teens who had been remanded to the juvenile court system because of antisocial behavior completed a word-completion task designed to measure the level of aggression in their automatic cognitions. Teens also completed questionnaire measures of attitudes about dating violence and dating violence perpetration during the previous three months, and then provided data on dating violence perpetration every two weeks over a 3-month follow-up period. Results: The level of aggression in automatic cognitions was positively associated with dating violence perpetration after accounting for teens' self-reported attitudes about dating violence. This pattern of results emerged with both concurrent and prospective associations. It is noteworthy that aggression in automatic cognitions also predicted changes in dating violence perpetration over the 3-month follow-up period, even after controlling for baseline levels of the perpetration of dating violence and teens' self-reported attitudes about dating violence. Conclusions: These findings suggest that theoretical models of teen dating violence should consider the role of automatic as well as more consciously controlled cognitive processes in the perpetration of teen dating violence. In addition, clinical efforts to reduce teen dating violence might benefit from targeting automatic as well as more controlled cognitive processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specificity of depressotypic cognitions in clinical depression.

Evaluated 2 measures of cognition in depression, an automatic thoughts questionnaire (ATQ) and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS), for sensitivity and specificity in a series of diagnostically distinct clinical outpatients. The 69 Ss were divided among the following diagnoses: bipolar disorder, depressed; unipolar disorder, depressed; substance abuse, depressed; substance abuse disorder; and general psychiatric disorder. Findings show that both measures covaried with syndrome rather than nosological depression, and the ATQ, but not the DAS, evidenced good specificity. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)