An investigation of the effects of time and involvement in the relationship between stressors and work–family conflict.

Previous researchers have proposed that the time and energy involved in family and paid work should affect the relationship between stressors and conflict in both the work and family domains. Using a sample of 113 registered nurses, the authors hypothesized that the amount of time and involvement in both domains would moderate the stressor–conflict relationships. Results supported many of the interactions in predicting conflict in each domain, and implications for the health of working women with family responsibilities were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research.

Research suggests that mindfulness practices offer psychotherapists a way to positively affect aspects of therapy that account for successful treatment. This paper provides psychotherapists with a synthesis of the empirically supported advantages of mindfulness. Definitions of mindfulness and evidence-based interpersonal, affective, and intrapersonal benefits of mindfulness are presented. Research on therapists who meditate and client outcomes of therapists who meditate are reviewed. Implications for practice, research, and training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the Complementarity of Absorption and MCD Spectroscopy

Ｉｔｉｓｃｏｍｍｏｎｐｒａｃｔｉｃｅｔｏｒｅｃｏｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｔｈｅｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｎｉｃｓｔｒｕｃｔｕｒｅｏｆｔｈｅ４ｆｎｃｏｎｆｉｇｕｒａｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｒｉｖａｌｅｎｔｌａｎｔｈａｎｉｄｅｉｏｎｓ（ｎｉｓｔｈｅｎｕｍｂｅｒｏｆ４ｆｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｎ...     

Reasoning rats or associative animals? A common-element analysis of the effects of additive and subadditive pretraining on blocking.

Beckers, Miller, De Houwer, and Urushihara (2006) described the results of 3 blocking experiments conducted with rats. Beckers et al. concluded that the results of these experiments cannot be accounted for with existing theories of associative learning, and argued, instead, that the results were a consequence of the rats engaging in a process akin to effortful reasoning. Simulations of the Rescorla and Wagner (1972) theory of learning presented here challenge this conclusion by providing an alternative, associative, explanation for the results presented by Beckers et al. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Got political skill? The impact of justice on the importance of political skill for job performance.

The present study examined the moderating effects of procedural and distributive justice on the relationships between political skill and task performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among 175 supervisor–subordinate dyads of a government organization. Using Mischel’s (1968) situationist perspective, high justice conditions were considered “strong situations,” whereas low justice conditions were construed as “weak situations.” We found that when both procedural and distributive justice were low, political skill was positively related to performance. Under conditions of both high procedural and high distributive justice, political skill was negatively related to performance. Finally, under conditions of low distributive justice, political skill was positively related to OCB, whereas under conditions of high distributive justice, political skill had little effect on OCB. These results highlight the importance of possessing political skill in weak but not strong situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are the salutogenic effects of social supports modified by income? A test of an "added value hypothesis".

Older adults (54 men, 113 women; M age?=?69.5 years) were examined to test the hypothesis that social supports would be more salutogenic (health promoting) for persons with lower incomes than for persons with higher incomes. Interactions of income and social supports (mean of 3 emotional scales of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List) at study entry predicted changes 15–18 months later in a cardiovascular composite (linear combination of high-density lipoproteins-mean arterial pressure; p?p?$29,000/year). In contrast, interactions of the Tangible Support Scale with income did not occur. Persons with lower incomes may derive benefits from social supports that go beyond tangible assistance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do children's perceptions and attributions mediate the effects of mothers' child-rearing actions?

The authors analyzed whether the relation between maternal child-rearing behaviors and a child's self-regulation was mediated by the accuracy in the child's perceptions of the mother's goals and methods and by the direction of attributions for the mother's intentions. Sixty mothers with children 7–10 years old were asked how and why they would react in 15 hypothetical situations. Children were interviewed to assess the accuracy of their perceptions and the direction of their attributions. To assess the children's self-regulation, mothers and children were observed planning an excursion. LISREL analysis showed that the reported use of both control and demandingness and of responsiveness has a positive influence on the accuracy of children's perceptions and, in turn, on their self-regulation. However, part of the positive impact of control and demandingness on children's self-regulation was due to the effect of positive attributions on the accuracy of perceptions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What is the connection between true and false memories? The differential roles of interitem associations in recall and recognition.

Veridical memory for presented list words and false memory for nonpresented but related items were tested using the Deese/Roediger and McDermott paradigm. The strength and density of preexisting connections among the list words, and from the list words to the critical items, were manipulated. The likelihood of producing false memories in free recall varied with the strength of connections from the list words to the critical items but was inversely related to the density of the interconnections among the list words. In contrast, veridical recall of list words was positively related to the density of the interconnections. A final recognition test showed that both false and veridical memories were more likely when the list words were more densely interconnected. The results are discussed in terms of an associative model of memory, Processing Implicit and Explicit Representations (PIER 2) that describes the influence of implicitly activated preexisting information on memory performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is authoritative teaching beneficial for all students? A multi-level model of the effects of teaching style on interest and achievement.

This study examined the effects of the two facets of authoritative teaching—high academic press and caring for students—on student interest and achievement in mathematics for middle and high school students (N = 3,602 in 198 classrooms), and whether those effects are moderated by students' ethnicity (Hispanic, Vietnamese, and Caucasian Non-Hispanic). Tested with hierarchical modeling, a trend suggested that the authoritative teaching style predicted higher levels of interest for Hispanic students; however, the trend for caring was approaching significance, which suggests that future research should be conducted to determine whether authoritative and authoritarian teaching styles truly have different effects on interest for this group. Authoritarian teaching (high press and low caring) was positively related to interest for Vietnamese students. Results for Caucasian students did not differ from Hispanic students, but should be interpreted with caution due to small sample size. For all students, authoritarian teaching was positively associated with achievement gains. Results are discussed in terms of the relationships between teaching style and different academic outcomes among particular student groups, as informed by the parenting style and teaching style literatures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermal excitations of hydrated macromolecules: the effects of hydration on the M?ssbauer absorption and scattering spectra

The spectra of Rayleigh scattering of M?ssbauer radiation (RSMR) and M?ssbauer absorption by globular macromolecules are calculated. The dependence of the spectra parameters on hydration is modeled with the account for thermal low-frequency vibrations of the particles constituting the globule. Deformational motions of the macromolecule fragments leading to deviations from its equilibrium spherical shape are considered introducing collective dynamical variables governed by Langevin equations with random sources of external forces. The macromolecule is modeled by a double-layered sphere: a rigid (elastic) core is surrounded by a porous hydration shell filled with fluid. The dynamical properties of the bound water inside the shell are described by the Debye-Brinkman equations. The degree of hydration is introduced by means of a combination of the mass coefficients of the porous shell with fluid and the mass coefficients in the limiting cases when the flow inside the shell is "frozen" and in the case of free flow. The hydration-dependent Lamb-M?ssbauer factor and the elastic fraction of the RSMR are calculated and compared with experimental data from the literature.     

Does emotion processing require attention? The effects of fear conditioning and perceptual load.

This study examined the impact of perceptual load on the processing of unattended threat-relevant faces. Participants performed a central letter-classification task while ignoring irrelevant face distractors, which appeared above or below the central task. The face distractors were graded for affective salience by means of aversive fear conditioning, with a conditioned angry face (CS+), an unconditioned angry face (CS?), and a neutral control face. The letter-classification task was presented under conditions of both low and high perceptual load. Results showed that fear conditioned (i.e., CS+) angry face distractors interfered with task performance more than CS? angry or neutral face distractors but that this interference was completely eliminated by high perceptual load. These findings demonstrate that aversively conditioned face distractors capture attention only under conditions of low perceptual load. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What explains the relationship between the therapist structure × patient reactance interaction and drinking outcome? An examination of potential mediators.

Recent research found that among patients in aftercare treatment for alcoholism the level of therapist structure interacted with the level of patients' interpersonal reactance to predict alcohol use outcomes. The present study examined two sets of potential mediators of this interaction effect among a sample from two aftercare sites of Project MATCH (n = 127). The mediator constructs were types of pro-recovery change talk and resistance to therapeutic work. Dependent variables were percentage of days abstinent (PDA) and percentage of heavy drinking days (PHDD) across the year after treatment. Multiple-mediator models using bootstrapped estimates of indirect effects were used to test for mediation. Results indicated that the 'taking steps' aspect of change talk partially mediated the Structure × Reactance interaction effect on both PDA and PHDD post treatment. Resistance was not found to mediate the interaction effect though resistance did predict worse drinking outcomes. Depending on patients' openness to being influenced by others, therapist structure early in treatment may promote or inhibit pro-recovery steps taken by aftercare patients between treatment sessions. Those steps in turn play an important role in predicting future alcohol use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What is responsible for the emergence of order and pattern in psychological systems?

Order and pattern abound in the natural world. However, whereas the emergence of order and pattern in physical or biological systems is typically explained by means of self-organization and field dynamics, the emergence of order and pattern in psychological systems is typically explained by means of mediating endogenous entities (such as representations or specialized brain areas) or mechanisms (such as motor or genetic programs). I review a self-organization and field-based approach to understanding order and patterns in a variety of physical and biological systems. I then provide a sketch of recent research that has applied such an approach to understanding order and pattern in psychological phenomena (including development, motor control, perception, cognition, and social behavior). Such an approach promises to reduce the explanatory burden associated with psychological phenomena and brings explanations of such phenomena into greater congruence with natural law. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expert assessment of work disability--do we realize the effects?

Three inquiries on the results of medical expertises concerning incapacitation for work in cases where employers had doubted this fact, seem to establish that the Medical Service of the Social Health Insurance (MDK) is quite capable of keeping improper use of the epithet "unfit for work" in check. If the design of the studies is critically analysed, it becomes evident that most problems are still unsolved. More clarity regarding the sense or nonsense of this work-intensive topic may result from a carefully and completely planned randomised trial. Such a study appears mandatory, the more so since the economic benefit of the expertises does not seem to be very bright, taking several hypotheses into consideration.     

“What about me?” Perceptions of exclusion and Whites' reactions to multiculturalism.

A 5-study investigation of reactions of dominant group members (i.e., White Americans) to diversity (relative to racial minority reactions) provides evidence of implicit and explicit associations between multiculturalism and exclusion and of a relationship between perceived exclusion and reactions to diversity. In Study 1, Whites but not racial minorities were faster in an implicit association task at pairing multiculturalism with exclusion than with inclusion. This association diminished in Study 2 through a subtle framing of diversity efforts as targeted toward all groups, including European Americans. In Study 3, in a “Me/Not Me” task, Whites were less likely than minorities to pair multiculturalism concepts with the self and were slower in responding to multiculturalism concepts. Furthermore, associating multiculturalism with the self (Study 3) or feeling included in organizational diversity (Study 4) predicted Whites' endorsement of diversity and also accounted for the oft-cited group status difference in support for diversity initiatives. Study 5 showed that individual differences in need to belong moderated Whites' interest in working for organizations that espouse a multicultural versus a color-blind approach to diversity, with individuals higher in need to belong less attracted to organizations with a multicultural approach. Overall, results show that the purportedly “inclusive” ideology of multiculturalism is not perceived as such by Whites. This may, in part, account for their lower support for diversity efforts in education and work settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the link between racial discrimination and substance use: What mediates? What buffers?

The relation between perceived racial discrimination and substance use was examined in 2 studies that were based on the prototype-willingness model (Gibbons, Gerrard, & Lane, 2003). Study 1, using structural equation modeling, revealed prospective relations between discrimination and use 5 years later in a panel of African American adolescents (M age 10.5 years at Time 1 [T1]) and their parents. For both groups, the relation was mediated by anger and/or hostility. For the adolescents, it was also mediated by behavioral willingness, and it was moderated by supportive parenting. Study 2 was a lab experiment in which a subset of the Study 1 adolescents (M age = 18.5 years) was asked to imagine a discriminatory experience, and then their affect and drug willingness were assessed. As in the survey study, discrimination was associated with more drug willingness, and that relation was again mediated by anger and moderated by supportive parenting. Implications of the results for research and interventions involving reactions to racial discrimination are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the tensile properties of a fiber reinforced titanium matrix composite—II. Influence of notches and holes

The effects of holes and notches on the ultimate tensile strength of a unidirectionally reinforced titanium matrix composite have been examined. During tensile loading, a narrow plastic strip forms ahead of the notch or hole prior to fracture, similar to that observed in thin sheets of ductile metals. Examination of the fibers following dissolution of the matrix indicates that essentially all the fibers within such a strip are broken prior to catastrophic fracture of the composite. The trends in notch-strength have been rationalized using a fracture mechanics-based model, treating the plastic strip as a bridged crack. The observations suggest that the bridging traction law appropriate to this class of composite is comprised of two parts. In the first, the majority of fibers are unbroken and the bridging stress corresponds to the unnotched tensile strength of the composite; in the second, the fibers are broken and the bridging stress is governed by the yield stress of the matrix, with some contribution derived from fiber pullout. This behavior has been modeled by a two-level rectilinear bridging law. The parameters characterizing the bridging law have been measured and used to predict the notch strength of the composite. A variation on this scheme in which the fracture resistance is characterized by an intrinsic toughness in combination with a rectilinear bridging traction law has also been considered and found to be consistent with the predictions based on the two-level traction law.     

On kinked screw dislocations in the b.c.c. lattice—I. The structure and peierls stress of isolated kinks

The core structures and lattice friction stresses of single kinks on a screw dislocation in the b.c.c. lattice have been calculated by means of computer simulation. Interatomic binding potentials derived from first principles for potassium and by empirical methods for an iron-like material have been used. It is shown that a wide variety of kinks can exist on the dislocation, with core structures largely independent of the potential. The width of the kinks, i.e. the spatial extent of the kink displacement field parallel to the dislocation line, is found to vary strongly with potential, as does the kink Peierls stress. The calculated Peierls stresses, however, are found to be too small to explain the observed temperature dependence of the flow stress in real materials.