Coping humour, stress, and cognitive appraisals.

Investigated relationships between sense of humor and cognitive appraisals (CAs) and reappraisals of a potentially stressful event. CAs by 44 female university students for an academic examination were obtained at several points in time. Ss with high scores on the Coping Humor scale by R. A. Martin and H. M. Lefcourt (see record 1984-15058-001) appraised the exam as more of a positive challenge. In their reappraisals, high humor Ss' ratings of importance and positive challenge were positively related to performance on the exam, whereas for low humor Ss this relationship was negative. High humor Ss adjusted their expectations on the next exam on the basis of performance on the previous exam, whereas low humor Ss did not. Sense of humor was negatively related to both perceived stress and dysfunctional standards for self-evaluation. Results support the proposal that a sense of humor may facilitate coping and adjustment. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Creating a Dialogue for Effective Collaborative Decision-making: A Case Study with Michigan Stakeholders

Although widely promoted, the importance of science as the basis of natural resources policy-making has proven difficult to both implement and evaluate compared to the many other inputs to creating public policy. Our goals were to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders in Michigan and develop means to create a dialogue on the use of water science in policy-making and to address the disconnect between the science and water policy at the state and regional levels. To achieve these goals, we developed a series of workshops and facilitated discussions to encourage active, productive discussion with a group of 35 Water Resource Fellows (Fellows). The discussions examined the role of science in Michigan water policy. The Fellows were representatives from academia, local governments, state agencies, environmental groups, industry, agriculture, and business. We surveyed the Fellows about their views on the role of science and water issues in Michigan. Nearly half (45%) of the Fellows stated that not enough science is currently being used in water policy decisions. Several themes emerged from the facilitated discussions. The Fellows recommended a recursive decision-making approach to using science in policy making. The Fellows also expressed the need for science to be accessible, relevant to the policy community, and communicated to regulators and the general public on an ongoing basis. The workshop series process for encouraging discussion among stakeholders can be used in other collaborative decision-making efforts.     

Reciprocation ideology.

A questionnaire was used to assess college students' ideologies concerning the use of reciprocation for self-gain. Two independent dimensions were found involving beliefs that (a) returning greater help than previously received will result in generous repayments (creditor ideology) and (b) caution in returning help is required to avoid being taken advantage of (reciprocation wariness). The students subsequently took part in a bargaining situation with a partner who possessed low resources or high resources and who was programmed to give a small proportion or a large proportion of those resources. Students who possessed a strong creditor ideology returned greater resources to two kinds of partners: a partner with high resources who acted stingily and a partner with low resources who acted generously. Students with high reciprocation wariness showed reduced responsiveness to their partner's generosity, returning relatively less to a generous partner and more to a stingy partner. The results indicate that individuals differ systematically in their ideology and behavior involving the use of reciprocation for self-gain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feeding, activity, and body temperature following 6-hydroxydopamine lesions in diabetes (db/db) mice.

Reductions in central catecholamines produced by intraventricular injections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) cause weight loss and decreased plasma glucose in diabetes (db/db) mice. The present study examined the effects of this treatment in short-term (64-day) and long-term (120-day) survival groups of female diabetes (C57 BL/KsJ-db/db) and lean mice. Phenotypically heterozygotes (db/m) and homozygotes (m/m) were used as controls. Diabetes Ss treated with 6-OHDA decreased food intake, lost weight, and maintained a lower weight than vehicle-treated controls until vehicle-treated Ss began to enter the terminal stages of the syndrome, indicated by a loss of body weight. Diabetes Ss given 6-OHDA lost weight despite reduced body temperatures and activity levels. Blood glucose levels were always lower in 6-OHDA than in ad lib fed vehicle-treated db/db Ss. The 6-OHDA treatment also improved pancreatic islet granulation. Pair feeding vehicle-treated with 6-OHDA-treated db/db Ss did not halt weight gain in the vehicle-treated group. However, measurement of carcass fat indicated similar losses in db/db-6-OHDA Ss and vehicle-treated Ss when the vehicle group was pair-fed with lean controls. Treatment with 6-OHDA produced long-term improvement in the diabetes syndrome, but the decreased body weight of the 6-OHDA-treated diabetes Ss could not be completely accounted for by changes in food intake or energy expenditure. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extending conditioned stimuli before versus after unconditioned stimuli: Implications for real-time models of conditioning.

In four experiments using the conditioned suppression procedure with rats, we compared the effects of extending conditioned stimuli (CSs) before versus after reinforcement (called B vs. A extensions). In Experiments 1 and 2, Group 0 (no extension) received 2-min noise CS trials (3 per day in Experiment 1, 1 per day in Experiment 2) that terminated with a 1-s grid shock unconditioned stimulus (US). For Group B, the CS began 12 min before the US; for Group A, the CS began 2 min before the US but persisted for 10 min past US termination. In Experiments 3 and 4, similar trials (3 per day in Experiment 3, 1 per day in Experiment 4) included a 2-min light CS that always terminated with the US; thus the noise CS became a systematically manipulated context cue in which light-shock pairings were embedded. In Experiments 1 and 2 we found asymmetrical effects of CS extensions: B extensions weakened conditioning more than did A extensions. In Experiments 3 and 4 we found symmetrical effects: A and B extensions weakened context conditioning equally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in Functional Status Among Older Adults in Japan: Successful and Usual Aging.

This research aimed to chart the trajectories of functional status in old age in Japan and to assess how self-rated health and cognitive functioning differentiate these trajectories and account for interpersonal differences. Data came from a 5-wave panel study of a national sample of 2,200 Japanese older adults between 1987 and 1999. The sample as a whole showed an accelerated increase in functional limitations with age, approximated by a quadratic function. More important, 3 major trajectories of functional change were identified: (a) minimal functional decrement, (b) early onset of functional impairment, and (c) late onset of functional impairment. These findings may serve as useful benchmarks for observations derived from other developed nations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longer-term adjustment in children of divorce: Converging findings and implications for practice.

Reviews research on the impact of divorce on the long-term adjustment of children and adolescents. Variables associated with postdivorce outcomes include conflict, the adjustment of the custodial parent, the relationship with the noncustodial parent, child-rearing practices and child care, remarriage, and the type of custody arrangement. It is suggested that a balanced relationship with each parent that incorporates relevant aspects of the child's life should be developed after divorce. Parents should understand that it is the conditions created by divorce rather than divorce itself that determine their child's adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Incidental encounters between therapists and clients: The client's perspective.

A questionnaire concerning clients' feelings about incidental encounters with therapists was administered to 147 university counseling center clients. Results indicated that most clients had experienced brief incidental encounters with their therapists. Clients generally felt comfortable with their therapists' responses, but some wanted a more involved response from their therapist. The feelings that clients reported experiencing most frequently were confidence, surprise, awkwardness, enjoyment, curiosity, and anxiety. Implications for further research and training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)