Regret and quality of life across the adult life span: The influence of disengagement and available future goals.

Two studies examined the associations between life regrets and indicators of quality of life across the adult life span. Given that opportunities to undo regrets decline with age, regret intensity was expected to be inversely associated with subjective well-being and health among older adults. In addition, the research explored protective factors that have the potential to reduce older adults' regret intensity. It was suggested that being disengaged from undoing the consequences of regrets and having many future goals available may reduce older adults' intensity of regret and thereby contribute to a better quality of life. Across both studies, the findings demonstrate that older adults perceived reduced opportunities to undo the consequences of their regrets and that regret intensity predicted a reduced quality of life only among older adults. Furthermore, the findings support the adaptive value of disengagement and available future goals for managing life regrets in older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reflection properties of small hydrocarbons impinging on tungsten and carbon surfaces

Sticking coefficients of deuterium from are quantified on fusion relevant plasma sprayed tungsten and carbon fibre composite in the incident energy range from about 0-100 eV. The samples that were cut from ASDEX-Upgrade tiles are exposed to a beam of of specific incident energy, E_inc, in the tandem mass spectrometer BESTOF in Innsbruck. Nuclear reaction analysis is performed ex-situ at IPP Garching for the quantification of deuterium content. The deuterium content difference measured on a spot before and after ion-beam exposure of the sample is assigned to the above mentioned species of hydrocarbon molecules sticking on the surface, allowing the calculation of the sticking probability of a specific deuterated molecular ion. The sticking coefficient, S, is found to depend on the incident energy and shows a maximum of about S ∼ 0.4 around E_inc = 30 eV on CFC and about S ∼ 0.1 near E_inc = 20 eV in case of PSW.     

Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A control-process view.

The question of how affect arises and what affect indicates is examined from a feedback-based viewpoint on self-regulation. Using the analogy of action control as the attempt to diminish distance to a goal, a second feedback system is postulated that senses and regulates the rate at which the action-guiding system is functioning. This second system is seen as responsible for affect. Implications of these assertions and issues that arise from them are addressed in the remainder of the article. Several issues relate to the emotion model itself; others concern the relation between negative emotion and disengagement from goals. Relations to 3 other emotion theories are also addressed. The authors conclude that this view on affect is a useful supplement to other theories and that the concept of emotion is easily assimilated to feedback models of self-regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How coping mediates the effect of optimism on distress: A study of women with early stage breast cancer.

At diagnosis, 59 breast cancer patients reported on their overall optimism about life; 1 day presurgery, 10 days postsurgery, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-mo follow-ups, they reported their recent coping responses and distress levels. Optimism related inversely to distress at each point, even controlling for prior distress. Acceptance, positive reframing, and use of religion were the most common coping reactions; denial and behavioral disengagement were the least common reactions. Acceptance and the use of humor prospectively predicted lower distress; denial and disengagement predicted more distress. Path analyses suggested that several coping reactions played mediating roles in the effect of optimism on distress. Discussion centers on the role of various coping reactions in the process of adjustment, the mechanisms by which dispositional optimism vs pessimism appears to operate, third variable issues, and applied implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple dimensions of affective and cognitive disturbance: Latent-variable models in a community sample.

A clear understanding and confirmation of the structure of psychological distress has been hampered by different theoretical perspectives, ranges of measures, and methodologies. This study examined the latent construct structure of psychological distress as reflected in 27 self-report measures of psychological functioning from a community sample of 614 young adults. Models that hypothesized a single dimension of distress or 2 first-order factors (positive and negative affect) poorly fit the data. A model that fit well contained 9 first-order latent constructs, including Emotional Distress, Self-Derogation, Purpose in Life, Psychoticism, Depression, Anxiety, Hostility, Suicide Ideation, and Disorganized Thinking. Second and third higher order models achieved greater parsimony but were statistically inferior to the 9-factor model. Models are contrasted and discussed in terms of prior theory and current conceptualizations of mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies.

Describes a scale measuring dispositional optimism, defined in terms of generalized outcome expectancies. Two preliminary studies, involving a total of 438 male and 336 female undergraduates, assessed the scale's psychometric properties and its relationships with several other instruments. The scale was then used in a longitudinal study of symptom reporting among 79 male and 62 female undergraduates. Ss were asked to complete 3 questionnaires 4 wks before the end of a semester. Included in the questionnaire battery were the measure of optimism, a measure of private self-consciousness, and a 39-item physical symptom checklist. Ss completed the same set of questionnaires again on the last day of class. Consistent with predictions, Ss who initially reported being highly optimistic were subsequently less likely to report being bothered by symptoms (even after correcting for initial symptom-report levels) than were Ss who initially reported being less optimistic. This effect tended to be stronger among Ss high in private self-consciousness than among those lower in private self-consciousness. Discussion centers on other health related applications of the optimism scale and the relationships between the theoretical orientation of the scale and several related theories. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of public and private self-consciousness on the public expression of personal beliefs.

Examined the joint effects of private and public self-consciousness (SC) on attitudinal consistency. 113 male undergraduates (categorized as high and low private and high and low public SC) reported their own attitudes toward punishment. Later, each S was asked to write an essay in which he restated his attitude. Immediately prior to writing the essay, S learned that he would also be discussing his opinion with either a partner who held an attitude opposite to his own or a partner whose attitude was unknown. As predicted, the attitudes expressed in the essays of high public SC Ss were more moderate than those expressed by low public SC Ss. One effect of this moderation strategy was to lower the correlation between privately held and publicly expressed beliefs among Ss high in public SC. In contrast, attitudinal consistency was substantial among Ss who were low in public and high in private SC. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-focusing effects of dispositional self-consciousness, mirror presence, and audience presence.

Notes that self-awareness theory has generated a considerable amount of research activity; however, the most widely used manipulation of self-focus—the mirror—has not been satisfactorily validated. Exp I was an attempt to do so. At the same time an attempt was made to validate the Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS), an instrument designed to measure chronic dispositions to be self-attentive. 79 female undergraduates responded to a sentence completion blank either in an empty room or while facing a mirror. Results indicate that the mirror does manipulate, and the private subscale of the SCS does measure, self-attention. Exp II, with 81 female undergraduates, was a replication of the 1st study, but using an audience instead of a mirror. Results indicate that audience presence also heightens self-attention. Implications for attentional analyses of social behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): A reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test.

Research on dispositional optimism as assessed by the Life Orientation Test (M. F. Scheier and C. S. Carver, 1985) has been challenged on the grounds that effects attributed to optimism are indistinguishable from those of unmeasured third variables, most notably, neuroticism. Data from 4,309 Ss show that associations between optimism and both depression and aspects of coping remain significant even when the effects of neuroticism, as well as the effects of trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem, are statistically controlled. Thus, the Life Orientation Test does appear to possess adequate predictive and discriminant validity. Examination of the scale on somewhat different grounds, however, does suggest that future applications can benefit from its revision. Thus, we also describe a minor modification to the Life Orientation Test, along with data bearing on the revised scale's psychometric properties. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Low-energy electron interaction with nitrobenzene: C6H5NO2

Low-energy electron attachment to C₆H₅NO₂ (nitrobenzene) in the gas phase is reported in the electron energy range from about 0 up to 10 eV with an energy resolution of 120 meV. Dissociative and nondissociative electron attachment to nitrobenzene were observed. From the numerous ions observed, the two most abundant were NO₂⁻ and C₆H₅NO₂⁻. Based on comparison of the abundance of studied ions with Cl⁻ in the dissociative electron attachment to CCl₄ at 0.8 eV, estimates of cross sections for the all observed ions were obtained for the first time (e.g. σ(NO₂⁻)=4.6×10⁻²⁰ m² and σ(C₆H₅NO₂⁻)=3.8×10⁻²¹ m²).